


Parent Teacher Conference

by rowofstars



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, Blow Jobs, Cane Porn, Couch Sex, Cunnilingus, Dirty Talk, Dirty Thoughts, Doggy Style, F/M, Face-Sitting, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Phone Sex, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Single Parent Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Smut, Spanking, Teacher Belle (Once Upon a Time), Teacher-Parent Relationship, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Young Baelfire | Neal Cassidy, mild power dynamics, pawn shop sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-05-07 12:16:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14670921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowofstars/pseuds/rowofstars
Summary: Belle is a teacher, Gold is the parent of a student, and during parent-teacher conference night, they find themselves alone with their mutual attraction.





	1. Teacher Appreciation Week

**Author's Note:**

> Completely pointless smut for Teacher Appreciation Week. I'm late. Sorry. There might be a part two because I wrote more than I could cram in this one fic. Bless @mariequitecontrarie who is the only reason this is readable and doesn’t have 3,491 errors, approximately.

It was Thursday night and Belle French was in parent-teacher conference hell.

She leaned on the table, her shoulders sagging as she rolled her head side to side, trying to work out the knot in her neck. She loved her job teaching fourth grade at Storybrooke Elementary School, but after spending nine hours on her feet every day, trying to get a room of nine-year-olds to care about long division, spelling, and science fair projects, she needed out of her shoes and into a glass of wine. 

She’d had enough of parents’ outrage over any grade that wasn’t an A, or contesting every trip to the principal's office. Mostly, she was just done with the tiresome, self-absorbed tones that implied it was somehow _her_ fault. Being forced to host parent teacher conferences and the annual ice cream social during Teacher Appreciation Week was the true outrage. At least the school was closed tomorrow, giving everyone a much needed long weekend.

There was a noise at the door and she straightened, starting her spiel before she’d even looked up to see who it was. “Good evening, I’m Miss French, this is - _oh_...Mr. Gold.”

“Miss French,” he said with a half smile and a slight tilt of his head. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She pressed her hands to the front of her dress as he entered the teachers’ lounge turned conference room and closed the door behind him.

“Not at -” she started to say, stopping abruptly as he came to stand in front of her, a slight swagger to his gate. Her mouth went dry and she swallowed, licking her lips. “- all,” she finished, a beat later. “Not at all.”

He flicked his hair out of his eyes with a toss of his head, and set his hands in front of him, resting them over the handle of his cane as he eased back and sank down into the low chair. She blinked, feeling almost dazed, like she was watching a ridiculous, sexy montage in a movie.

Mr. Gold, for all that the town looked at him with trepidation, fear, and more than a hint of disdain, was a wonderful, very involved father, who had been blessed with a son that did well in most subjects and almost never caused trouble. They’d met her third week in Storybrooke when she’d come to him about plumbing issues in the house she was renting. The warnings she’d been given by a couple of the other teachers had made her wary of approaching him, but she decided to be brave and march right into his shop, shoulders squared, ready to do battle. 

Belle needn’t have worried. He was pleasant, concerned, and polite. Neal had been the first student she met on her very first day teaching, and she’d gotten to know both father and son quite well. As the school year went on, she found that Mr. Gold was also smart, funny, and devastatingly sexy. It was the last descriptor that had become a problem.

Two years in Storybrooke later, and despite the attempts of several of her friends and colleagues, and many failed dates, she was still single. They had no idea their efforts were being thwarted by a silly school girl crush on the parent of one of her former students.

His lips quirked. “Are you alright, Miss French?”

“Yes,” she said too quickly. “I’m, uh, I’m fine. I thought all the conferences were done for the evening. Are you -?”

“No, no, I just finished with Miss Blanchard,” he said.

She smiled. “I’m sure she had nothing but praise for Neal.”

He smiled widely at the mention of his son. “She did. He’s still lagging a bit in English, but he’s up to a B- now, thank you for that, and he’s reading almost every night. Your tutoring has definitely paid off, and he loves the books you loaned him.”

She ducked her head and brushed a lock of hair back behind her ear, feeling her face flush. “It was my pleasure, but it was Neal who put in the hard work. He wants to succeed, he just needs a little extra help.” 

“He did, but you were the one who got him to do it in the first place, _and_ enjoy it.” Gold said. “You’re magic, Miss French.”

Belle smiled and met his eyes, catching a glint of something dark and dangerous. It was so brief she had most likely imagined it, but it made her pulse thrum and gooseflesh prickle her skin. “I’m really not,” she said, breathless.

Her hand came up to fiddle with her necklace, a single pearl on a delicate gold chain. The action caused his gaze to drop for a moment. “Oh, but you are,” he replied, bringing his eyes back to her face.

“Well, uh, if you - if you think he needs more attention, I’d be happy to um...” She swallowed and glanced at the floor, willing herself to stop staring.

He was almost disturbingly attractive, especially the contrast of the conservative suit with his shaggy hair and bold, pink shirt. His wardrobe defied classification as much as his personality, as did everything about him. The chair he was sitting in was more suited for a student, and his legs looked a bit awkward with his body so low. Her heels her put her well above him, almost like she was towering over him. She felt like there was a lesson she should be teaching him, maybe something involving her with a short skirt and a ruler...

The thought sent a tingle of pleasure through her.

Still unsure of why he had come into the conference room, Belle didn’t sit at the table as she had been during her earlier meetings. Instead, she walked around the table, swaying her hips, and then lifted herself onto it, facing him. Her right leg slid up and then crossed over the other one and she leaned back on her hands. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and even though she was probably crossing a line, she suspected he’d be last person to report her. He’d tested the line already just by coming in the room and closing the door.

She took another chance and lifted a hand to the first button of her blouse, fiddling with it between her fingers before she popped it. “So, what are you doing here Mr. Gold?”

Gold’s mouth curved, his stare drifting down over her chest, her thighs, and lingering on her long, bare legs. “Miss Blanchard said you were in here for the evening since your room was being used for the art display.” He paused as his eyes made the return journey, up over her body to meet her gaze once more. “I wanted to see you.”

Sitting above him gave her a sense of power, but his words made her belly flip. She met his gaze and smiled, letting her voice take on a flirtatious undertone. “I’m very glad you did, Mr. Gold. I haven’t -”

“Rum,” he interrupted, pausing to lick at his bottom lip as if he might also be nervous. 

“Rum,” she repeated, like the way the name felt on her tongue. 

“It’s, um, my first name. Well, sort of.“

Belle’s eyebrows lifted. “Short for...?” Gold inclined his head, and she bit her lip. “Something you don’t like?”

His face fell a bit and he shrugged. “Rumford. An family name, but a bit old fashioned.”

She smiled and toyed with the edge of her skirt, not bothering to pull it down even though it had ridden up on her thigh. “I like it. It’s...unique.”

“Thank you,” he managed, looking away from her, briefly.

“I haven’t seen you as much this year since Neal isn’t in my class anymore,” she continued. “I’m glad you stopped by.”

“Neal has kept me a bit up to date,” Gold said. “Something about you leaving for the high school?”

She blushed. “Yes, he overhead me telling Mary Margaret about it last week.”

Gold let out a little ‘ah’ and leaned back in the chair. His hands twirled his cane as he studied her. “What subject will you be teaching?”

“Oh, I, uh, I won’t be teaching. I’ll be running the library.” A little chuckle escaped him and she tilted her head. “I guess I’ll be seeing Neal and all the other students again in a few years. I hope they remember me.”

He smirked. “I’m certain they will.”

The silence lingered for a moment, and there was something in his eyes that made her press her thighs together. She thought about slipping down off the table and straddling his waist, her nails digging into his shoulders as she rode him. 

As if he could read her mind, he made another show of looking her up and down again, his eyes lingering on her chest and the extra skin she’d exposed before meeting her gaze. “I don’t think anyone could forget you.”

His voice was lower, his accent thicker than she’d ever heard before. Her tongue darted out and swept across her bottom lip as her nerves got the better of her. “I think I’d better clean up.”

She slid off the desk, letting her skirt ride high up her thighs, close to revealing her knickers. She could feel the weight of his stare as she turned around and walked to the whiteboard, lifting up the eraser and beginning to wipe it down the board nonchalantly, as if she hadn’t just imagined fucking him just seconds ago.

She heard the wood of the chair creak, and the sound of his cane tapping against the floor. She dropped the eraser as he stopped behind her, but she didn’t dare move to pick it up. His hands curved around her waist, slow and soft. Her lips parted and she gripped the edge of the marker tray with her finger tips, fighting the urge to reach for him.

“Do you know what I think?” he whispered.

It required every bit of her self control not drop her head back against his shoulder and guide his hand beneath her skirt.

Belle bit back a lewd noise as his nose brushed her hair, his breath hot on her ear. “I think you’ve wanted to fuck me since I walked in this room.” 

She shuddered and gasped at his words, and she swore she could feel his smirk against the crook of her neck as he pushed her hair aside and continued. “I think that you’ve wanted to fuck me since we chaperoned the class trip to the art museum.”

“Yes,” she admitted; then she swallowed hard. “And what are you going to do about it?”

He pulled her back, her ass rubbing against him and feeling the hardness behind the zipper of his trousers. Her lips parted on another breathy gasp.

“I can think of a few things,” Gold murmured. His fingers brushed the skin just under the hem of her skirt as his mouth opened against her neck, lips pressing gently.

Her hips ground back against him and she felt almost ashamed at how fucking easy she was. He kissed his way up to her ear, nipped at her lobe, and then took her by the shoulders and spun her around. His eyes were black, and she saw her own burning need reflected in his stare. His hands moved to her hips again, holding her as he pressed himself closer.

She wanted to fuck the smirk off of his face.

Her fingers curled around the back of his neck and tangled in his hair, her nails scratching against his scalp as she pulled him down. Their lips collided and his tongue was in her mouth before she could even comprehend opening it. She kissed him back roughly, catching his bottom lip and sucking hard as she dragged the edges of her teeth over it. He growled from the back of his throat, his hands digging into the curve of her backside.

Belle couldn’t stop her hands from dropping to his belt, relishing the way his hips thrust forward as she pulled it loose with a light clink. The button was next and then she was dragging the zipper down as he lifted her skirt up to her waist. He smirked again when his fingers slipped below the waistband of her panties and into her slit where she was throbbing and hot. 

“So wet already,” he whispered, curling two fingers into her, his eyes gleaming when she cried out.

“Oh, _fuck_.” Her eyelids fluttered closed as her hand clawed at a fistful of his shirt, tugging forcibly. His hand moved slowly, drawing his fingers in and out in soft strokes that were driving her mad with want. “No,” she gasped, and he stilled, pressing his fingertips against a particularly sensitive spot inside of her that made her legs shake. “If you’re going to fuck me, do it right.”

“I’m afraid,” he started, “that despite the rather compromising position I find myself in, I didn’t come prepared to fuck my son’s teacher tonight.”

“It’s okay,” she managed, shifting her hips and rubbing into his hand. “IUD.”

He grinned as if something was amusing about that reponse, and flicked his thumb against her clit to make her keen. “On the table, Miss -”

“Belle,” she said sharply, slipping her hand into his trousers to press her palm against the stiff ridge of his cock. His eyes closed and he made a sound that sent a frisson of pleasure through her.

“Belle,” he repeated, and then slid his fingers out of her.

She made a choking, guttural noise of protest when he removed his hand, but hurried to get on the table, tucking her skirt out of the way. He followed her, shedding his suit jacket and shoving his trousers and boxers to the floor while she shimmied out of her panties. There was a long pause as she stared at the length of him, hard, red, and bobbing against his stomach, and felt her pussy clench. When she lifted her eyes to his, he was staring at her, slack-jawed, his hair mussed from her hands.

Gold pulled her hips to the edge of the table, and took himself in hand, stroking his cock with the sticky, wet fingers that had been inside her just a moment ago. The moan that rose in her throat when he finally pressed the tip against her was primal and frantic, unlike any sound she had ever made. She bit her lip as he slid inside her, trying to keep her noises to a minimum and not draw the attention of the staff still lurking in the building. 

He drew his tongue along her neck while she adjusted, nipping hard enough that it felt like he was going to leave a mark, and it hit her that she was really doing this. She was going to fuck Mr. Gold - _Rum_ \- in the teacher’s lounge, the same room where Monday morning she would be sitting with Mary Margaret eating lunch.

Belle’s hands moved to his shoulders as he started to thrust, her nails digging into his flesh through the brightly colored cotton and silk blend. 

“ _Please_ , Rum,” she begged, feeling him grin against her neck at the desperation in her voice.

She needed him to fuck her hard and fast, leave her with bruises and marks so that tomorrow she would know it was real. The consequences could come later later; she no longer cared. He set a punishing pace that made her bite down on her bottom lip and struggle to keep quiet. Despite her best efforts, moans and pleas tumbled from her lips, and his eyes rolled back in his head as he groaned.

He murmured against her throat, voice low-pitched and rumbling. “Like this? Is this what you need, Belle?”

The table squeaked and knocked against the tile floor with the force of his movements, and she managed a gasping little ‘ _yes yes yes_ ’ before her lips latched onto his neck to bite and suck on a throbbing vein. He moaned into her ear and wriggled a hand between them to rub at her clit. She tightened around him deliberately, squeezing his cock with hard flexes of her cunt. 

“Fuck,” he gasped, his thrusts becoming erratic. “I can’t - Belle, please.”

She shifted back, giving him more room to move as his thrusts became wilder and harder, his hips jerking against hers. He ran his fingers across her clit, sloppy and wet, and she grabbed at his shirt, nearly tearing it open. She panted heavily, gasping for air, her legs shaking as white spots flashed in her eyes.

She swore into his ear, her breath hot and her hand gripping his neck. He was pounding against her as the first rolling waves started, pleasure radiating out from her core, but he didn’t stop. Her teasing, the crossed legs and skirt riding high, had gotten her exactly what she wanted. She barely restrained her cry as her orgasm exploded into being. He fucked her roughly all the way through the aftershocks as her legs clung to him, wrapping tight around his waist, until it reached that perfect edge of pain and white hot sensation.

When he finally released inside of her, his body pressed close, rubbing her clit with the pressure from his groin. She came again, unexpectedly, tears springing in the corners of her eyes from the pleasure. He rasped her name over and over as he held her, the word rolling off his tongue and sounding more sinful than any erotic fiction or poetry she’d ever read.

They were a mess when they finally parted. He stepped back and slid out of her, and she hopped off the table. Her skirt fell back into place, covering her bare sex without leaving any evidence behind, but his clothes were noticeably rumpled. She looked up at him, eyes heavy and hooded. She knew her neck was peppered with red marks that would take the entirety of the long weekend to fade, and her lips felt puffy and reddened. Her tongue flicked out to wet them as she smiled, and he dipped his head to kiss her. It was slow and lazy this time, making up for the lack of care they’d shown each other in the middle of the act, his hands cupping her face gently.

He smirked and pulled back. “I think I’ll leave this off the end-of-semester evaluation form.”

She laughed and ran her finger tips down his tie, noticing the small creases she’d left in his shirt. “Probably best.”

Gold’s thumb brushed over her bottom lip and down along the line of her jaw before dropping down to skim the open neck of her blouse and dip between her breasts. “Pity I didn’t get to see as much of you as I’d like...”

She suddenly remembered that she’d undone an extra button and slipped it closed again slowly as she held his gaze. She was about to make a quip about assigning him homework, but there was a smattering of voices in the hallway outside the room. It was the last of the faculty leaving for the night, and her cheeks flushed as they hastily finished setting their clothing to rights.

He glanced at the clock on the wall as he buttoned his suit jacket. “I’m afraid I’ve kept you after school too long.”

“It was nice catching up with you,” she said, moving to the door. Then her lips curled. “I’m glad that Neal is doing better in English, but if you’d like to discuss some additional _tutoring_ this summer, I’m sure we could arrange something.”

Gold’s grin was sly and crooked, his gold tooth flashing as he held open the door for her. What an excellent idea...”


	2. Summer School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a tutoring session, Belle and Gold find themselves alone in the house and unable to resist temptation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The school year is over, but Belle and Gold's sexy shenanigans are not! So yeah here's the more I promised. There may continue to be even more. IDK where this is going but here we are.

Belle couldn’t look at Mr. Gold for the last few weeks of the school year without blushing.

She would pass him on the street, or end up behind in him in line at Clark’s drugstore, and her face would flush , burning all the way up to her ears. He would greet her cordially, a knowing little smile curving his lips, his eyes trailing up and down her body as it had the evening of the parent teacher conferences. Her voice would all but leave her, and she knew he noticed her squeaky, nervous responses. 

She was beginning to believe that he did it on purpose, that he was trying to drive her spare or rile her up. Their time together kept replaying over and over in her mind. It was all she could think about some nights, driving her to touch herself and wish it was him, biting back a cry of his name. She refused to give him the satisfaction even if he’d never know. It wasn’t surprising that they hadn’t talked about what happened on parent teacher conference night , but it left her wondering what was next.

About a week after school ended, Gold caught her in Granny’s.

“Miss French,” he said, smiling as he folded his hands over the handle of his cane. “I would like to follow up with you on the matter we discussed the evening of the parent teacher conferences?”

Belle could feel her cheeks heat as she swallowed. “Yes, um...the uh, the...?”

“ _Tutoring_ ,” he finished for her, his eyes widening slightly. “For Neal.”

 _How dare he_ , she thought. Cornering her in Granny’s and referencing their illicit interlude, once again trying to get a rise out of her.

“Yes,” she managed, forcing her embarrassment to take a backseat as she turned to him. “Same terms as last summer?”

He grinned, flashing his gold tooth. “I was thinking perhaps we could amend them a bit, if you’re so inclined.”

Her brow arched and her lips started to curve. “I may just be, Mr. Gold.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Belle stacked up the books and slid the papers into an accordion file, pausing as she noticed the little doodles in the corners of the workbook sheets. They appeared to be swordfighting stick figures and she smiled.

Neal’s first lesson had gone well, though he wasn’t exactly thrilled about being tutored two hours, two days a week, and having small assignments in between. Still, it was only for eight weeks, and he enjoyed the little speed reading games she’d made up to improve his reading comprehension.

It felt a little weird to be in Gold’s house when he wasn’t here, but it had only been a few minutes since they finished Neal’s lesson. She sucked in a deep breath and smiled as she exhaled. The old Victorian had a wonderful smell of antiques and history.

There was a noise at the entrance to the dining room where she’d setup a temporary classroom at the massive antique table.. She lifted her eyes from the papers to see Gold leaning against the wide door frame, smirking at her. He was dressed in his usual suit and tie, and looking unfairly cool and attractive for an 80 plus degree day. She straightened in her chair and pressed her thighs together as a familiar ache started to build between her legs.

He stepped into the room, moving elegantly with his cane at his side.

“Hello,” she said, trying to sound casual.

“Hello,” he returned, cocky smile spreading across his face. “How did the first day go?”

“Well,” she answer, gesturing at the books and papers on the table. “If you ignore the mess. It was easier for him to spread the pages out in a row.”

He barely glanced at the schoolwork as he sauntered towards her. She licked her lips, heart fluttering in her chest.

“It’s no matter,” he said, waving his hand. “And how are you, Miss French?”

Belle thought he’d been inside her exactly one too many times to be using such a formality when they’re alone.

She uncrossed her legs slowly, catching the way his eyes flick down for moment and then back to her face. “I’m well. And you?”

He stopped in front of her, practically towering over her as she shifted in the high-backed dining room chair. It was a complete reversal of their first time, and she squeezed the arms of the chair, the wood smooth and cool beneath her palms. 

“Good,” he replied, the timber of his voice dropping as he started to remove his suit jacket. “But I think I’m about to be a whole lot better.”

He bent down and grasped the arms of her chair, behind where her elbows rested, trapping her . Her stomach flipped at the way he took control so blatantly. She ran her teeth over her bottom lip, enjoying the way his eyes darkened with desire.

“Did you want a lesson too... _Rumford?_ ”

Gold smiled slightly at the emphasis she placed on his first name and leaned closer. His nose nudged against hers, once and then twice. It was playful , and she giggled in spite of the increasing tension. It felt like he was saying that this wasn’t a random act of sexual attraction, that what was between them wasn’t just about lust, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up. She tilted her head and blinked slowly, her eyelashes brushing his cheek. 

A moment later she moved, allowing his mouth to press softly against hers. Their lips caught, plucking gently at each other until she opened for him. He pressed his tongue into her mouth, sliding languidly as he tasted her. When he pulled back, there was a wicked glint in his eyes, and she forced her hands to remain still, waiting to see where he would take things. Her breath hitched as he dropped to his knees, his hands moving to her legs, palms resting on her thighs.

“How long do we have?”

Belle swallowed. “Neal went over to August’s house, said you’d be okay with it as long as he was home for dinner. But I have another student after this.”

“How long?” he asked again.

She looked towards the grandfather clock in the corner. “Thirty minutes?”

He smirked devilishly, and then eased her legs apart, sliding his hands up under the edge of her floral print sundress. She shifted forward in the chair, cheeks flushed and eyes wide. His fingers hooked in the waistband of her panties, and her hips rose so he could pull them down and off. 

Gold blew out a soft breath as he lifted the hem of her dress and tucked it up around her waist. His eyes roamed over her, his tongue touching his bottom lip when he saw how pink and wet she was between her legs. 

“Beautiful,” he said, trailing his fingers over her bare thighs and making her muscles twitch.

She bit her lip, barely holding back a whimper. No one had ever looked at her like Gold was looking at her right now, or said she was beautiful with so much awed reverence. It made her chest tighten, but she forced the emotion down.

“Belle, _please_...” His eyes flicked to hers, wide and dark. “May I?”

It took her a second to realize that he was actually asking permission to eat her out, practically begging in fact, and she nodded. Her hands finally moved as he bent forward. His breath was hot between her legs, making her shiver, and she slid her fingers into his hair, tugging gently.

He parted his lips and she felt the softest brush against her slit as her nails scraped his scalp. It was all she could do not to thrust herself forward, to force herself onto his mouth and make him stop teasing. If they were in a bed she would have rolled them over and wiped that smirk away by sitting on his face. 

Slowly, teasingly, he let his tongue slip between her folds over and over, sipping at her arousal but always pulling away before he could reach her clit.

“ _Rum._ ” His name fell from her lips like a plea, and she pitched her hips upward, chasing his mouth.

“Patience, sweetheart,” he whispered. 

Gold blew across her sensitive flesh until she shivered, and then his mouth was on her again, licking her firmly all the way up and over her clit. Her gasp made him chuckle, and she whined as the vibration tickled her nerves. He licked at her and into her, circling the opening of her cunt as she twitched and clenched, her body pleading for more. His tongue kept a maddening pace, not doing any one thing for too long, never letting her get too sensitive, but in no rush to make her come. Her hips ground shamelessly against his mouth as he worked her into a frenzy, her body flushed and hot from head to toe. When he moved up and sucked lightly on her clit, she had to cover her mouth with the back of one hand to stop herself from screaming in pleasure.

He paused for a second and lifted her legs over his shoulders.

“Oh, fuck,” she exclaimed, trembling as he pulled her lower in the chair. “Oh... _fuck, fuck, fuck_...”

Her heels dug into his back, and one shoe came loose, falling with a thump on the plush area rug. He slipped a finger deep into her dripping pussy and curled it, pressing up and into the perfect spot to unravel her. She finally cried out, praying his windows were thick enough that the neighbors couldn’t hear. He was unfairly good at this, and seemed to know exactly what she needed through the sounds she made and the desperate shifting of her hips. 

A steady stream of incoherent words tumbled out of her mouth, curses and pleas mixing as she pulled his hair, driving herself against his mouth and fingers until she came with a low, guttural sound. He pulled away and ran the back of his hand across his jaw afterward, his thumb tracing sticky circles on the inside of her leg. She looked down at him through her eyelashes, one leg sliding off his shoulder. 

“Bastard,” she hissed, breathless and smiling.

His lips curled. “I’ve been thinking about that for a while.”

“About what?” she panted, pushing herself up in the chair as he stood.

He started undoing his belt with one hand, tugging the leather to one side and then the other before pulling it free. “Tasting you.”

She stood up, reaching for his zipper, but he stopped her with a hand. His finger curled beneath her chin, tipping her head up to kiss her. Her nails clawed his skin through his shirt as she moaned into his mouth, tasting herself on his tongue..

Gold broke the kiss, and they stared at each other for a moment, breathless in anticipation. He dipped his head and nuzzled at her cleavage as he slid down the thin strap of her sundress until it caught in the crook of her elbow. Her hands came up to his shoulders, holding herself steady as he pulled down one cup of her bra, exposing her breast to the air-conditioned room. 

Licking his lips, he watched her nipple harden as she let out a high-pitched whimper.

“God, Rum.” 

His eyes met hers for just a second before his mouth closed around the puckered bud. She jolted at the feeling of his warm, wet lips pulling gently, his tongue coming out to flick at her. Arching her back, she tangled a hand in his hair, holding his face against her as he teased and pulled. He circled the tip of his tongue around her over and over, before sucking hard and pulling a low moan from her throat.

His fingers crept up her thigh and she raised her leg, trying to press closer to the hard ridge of his cock, still covered by his trousers. Suddenly his mouth left her and his hands gripped her forcefully as he turned them around. The end of the table pressed against her ass for a moment before he moved back.

“How do want me?” she asked, surprised at her forwardness.

Gold seemed surprised too because he started and blinked before he spoke. “Turn around.”

Her lips quirked as she spun on her heel, and she gasped as he pushed her forward to bend over the table, her fingers splaying against the wood. He hiked her dress around her waist and then yanked his zipper down as she shoved the books and papers further across the table.

His trousers and underwear hit the floor, and she wiggled with impatience. Chuckling softly, he stroked his fingers over her slick, sensitive flesh, slipping a finger into her and making her moan his name.

“Fuck,” he groaned as he took himself in hand and pressed the head of his cock against her heated pussy. He moved slowly at first, sliding all the way and then withdrawing until just the tip of him was inside her. “You’re so hot, sweetheart, so tight.”

Belle whined and tried to push back, but his hands on her hips didn’t let her move as much as she wanted, and his teasingly slow pace was driving her almost as mad as his tongue. “Harder,” she begged. “ _Please._ ” 

The next thrusts were what she needed, hard and fast, filling her completely. The angle was just right, brushing the same spot he’d found with his fingers and sending a lightning bolt of pleasure through her on every stroke. His other hand curled around her hip to rub her clit in time with the driving pace of his hips. She surged, bucking her hips back to meet him thrust for thrust, clenching her cunt to squeeze his head every time he slid inside.

She cried out as her second orgasm hit, her whole body spasming as she drove herself back into his hips, hard. That was all it took to send him falling over the edge after her. His release washed over him, pulling a low moan from the back of his throat, but he kept rocking his hips into her, chasing the last bits of bliss for both of them, his fingers still working her clit gently as she trembled with the aftershocks.

Eventually, he stopped moving and bent to press a kiss to her bare shoulder before he pulled out.

She collapsed onto the table, smiling. “Wow.”

Gold laughed exhaustedly, and slumped back in the dining chair that was still wet with her juices. “Indeed.”

They were quiet as they righted themselves, and she didn’t quite know how to feel. She’s more than sated for the time being, and sore in a wonderfully naughty way, but too much between them is unspoken. Are they friends? With benefits? Will it always be quick fucks on furniture in inappropriate locations?

Sighing, Belle turned and looked at the clock, pulling a face when she saw how late it was. “Shit, I have to be at the mayor’s house in five minutes,” she mumbled, gathering up her purse and workbooks as she wiggled her feet back into her heels.

Gold stood, frowning. “I could drive you.”

“Thanks, but that might look a little...” She shrugged and wrapped her arms around her buddle of materials. “You know.”

“Yes, quite,” he said softly, averting his eyes to the floor before following her out of the room.

He opened the front door for her, and she gave him a saucy smile as she stepped outside. Her eyes trailed up and down his body in a pointed appraisal, trying to let him know that whatever was between them, she wasn’t ready for it to be over.. “See you on Thursday?”

“Thursday,” he echoed. 

She nodded and started down the front walk. 

“Miss French,” he called out, stepping into the doorway. “Belle, I -.”

“Yes?” She turned around and waited. She was going to be so late, but fuck it. 

“Um...” His mouth opened and closed and then he pressed his lips together, giving her a thing smile before he finished. “See you Thursday.”


	3. After School Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold and Neal go out for dinner, but whom should they see at Granny's diner but the lovely Miss French.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place immediately after the previous chapter. Nothing too naughty here, just Papafire feels.

As soon as Belle left, Gold retreated to his study.

He poured a finger of scotch into a lowball glass and tossed it back, grimacing as the liquor burned down his throat. He breathed in and out slowly and then licked his lips. Despite the alcohol, the flavor of her arousal was still on his face. He lifted the glass again and realized her scent was still on his hands, and fought the urge to slip them in his mouth. Evidence of her and what they had done was probably all over his table too, and he set the glass down before making his way back to the dining room to clean up.

He straightened the papers into a neat stack and put the pencils back in the zippered case Neal carried in his backpack, kicking himself mentally all the while. He’d almost asked Belle to dinner, but what she’d said about them being seen together made him stop. She was concerned how it might look to others and probably with good reason. Though she wasn’t teaching Neal anymore, she was still working for the school and there needed to be some sense of propriety. Never mind that being seen with him in a social capacity was unlikely to do anything good for her reputation.

She didn’t want anyone to know about them, not that there was much to know . They’d fucked twice. That was it, no matter how much he wanted it to be more.

The rejection stung, and he dropped back into the very chair she’d been sitting in when he licked her to her first orgasm. His eyes closed as he leaned back, picturing her spread legs and wet, pink pussy. In that moment, she’d been his, begging and grabbing at him, needing him to give her pleasure. He licked his lips again and sighed. 

A strange confidence came over him when they were together, a bravado that caused him to say and do the most perverted things. Belle seemed to love his naughty words, and he relished the flush of her skin when she blushed and the quickening of her breath when there was almost no space between them. He’d always used words as a defense, as a way to keep others at a distance or to manipulate them into doing what he wanted. Using them on her, for their mutual enjoyment, was oddly satisfying and arousing.

Every moment he spent with her only made him want more, but it seemed she didn’t feel the same. He didn’t really know for sure, since he hadn’t actually expressed his thoughts and feelings , but he was afraid confessing would end everything between them, including the possibility of friendship. 

Gold shook his head and pushed to his feet as the front door opened and closed. The rapid footfalls of his son echoed down the front hall, and he started to smile as he came to stand in the doorway to the dining room.

“Papa!” Neal exclaimed. “We found a snake in August’s garden!”

Gold blinked, the transition from thinking about Belle to focusing on his young son’s news gave him a bit of mental whiplash. “A what?”

“A snake!” Neal repeated, grinning. 

Gold’s eyes widened.

“It was kinda yellowy green and we caught it and put it in a box,” Neal continued in a rush. “And then Mr. Marco got mad because he said it would bite us and hurt us, but we looked it up online and it wasn’t poisonous at all. So August put it in the ter-terarinium thing in his room and he’s gonna keep it as a pet.”

The boy paused and panted, and Gold shook his head. “That sounds like quite an afternoon. Are you ready for some supper?”

Neal nodded. “Can we go to Granny’s and have burgers and milkshakes?”

He grinned and nodded. “Of course we can.”

 

 

* * *

 

Belle came in while they were eating, and Gold couldn’t help the way his gaze kept drifting to her.

He traced the line of her legs as she stood at the counter, her left foot lifted out of her sandal, idlying slipping back and forth as she waited. The shoe had been on his floor earlier, falling there as he ate her out on his dining room chair. His fist clenched, wrinkling and tearing his napkin. He was tempted to invite her to sit down with them, but her earlier words kept coming back to him. 

“Miss Belle!” Neal called out, and Gold winced.

Belle walked over to their table, smiling, but it faded once she looked at Gold. It was getting hard to separate the normal, friendly moments like these from their passionate sexual encounters. His face seemed almost pained and she looked away, focusing her attention on Neal.

“Did you have a nice time at August’s house?” she asked.

He nodded excitedly and told her all about the snake. She managed to force a smile through Neal’s enthusiasm despite the awkwardness between her and Gold and her fear of snakes combining to make her cringe on the inside.

“That’s _very_ exciting!” she said, giving Neal a pat on the shoulder. “I guess I know who to call if I have any stray reptiles that need capturing.”

Neal beamed at her. “I’m faster than August is, but he’s sneakier. We’re a good team.”

She glanced at Gold who was looking at her with a strange expression. Their eyes met and held for a long moment before Granny’s voice calling out to her broke the tension.

“I guess I need to go. See you next week, Neal,” she said. Her eyes darted to Gold again who was twisting his mangling his napkin with his fingers. “Mr. Gold...”

He looked up and gave her a tight smile and a nod. “Miss French.”

“Do you like her?” Neal asked almost immediately after Belle left the diner.

Gold startled and nearly knocked over his iced tea. “ _What_ \- ah - wha,” he stammered as he grabbed the glass with both hands and stabilized it “Ah, why, ah...would you, um...?”

He shook his head, and Neal laughed, grinning widely. “That’s a yes.”

Gold let go of the glass and wiped the condensation off on his napkin. “Neal, it’s not - that’s - it’s...” He sent the napkin down and twirled a french fry in the puddle of ketchup on his plate. “It’s not like that.”

“Okay,” Neal replied, still smiling, completely unconvinced by anything his father was telling him. “But she just came back in.”

Gold immediately twisted around to look over his shoulder at the diner door, but instead of Belle it was Mary Margaret and David Nolan. David gave him an odd look and a little wave, and he turned back to his son. Neal grinned around his straw and took a long slurping drink of his milkshake, drawing it out until Gold raised his eyebrows. 

“If you like her,” Neal said, leaning back against the booth with a look that was far too smug for a ten-year-old, “you should tell her.”

He shook his head. “I know but, I can’t do that.”

Neal shrugged and sucked down the rest of his shake, as Gold sighed in resignation and shoved the fry in his mouth.


	4. Distance Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A frustrated Belle starts fantasizing about Gold, who makes a very timely phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA the chapter where they have phone sex. An anon prompted something with Skype but this was far easier.

A week came and went, but Belle did not have any further interactions with Mr. Gold.

She lingered for a bit after her tutoring session with Neal, taking extra time to stack the workbooks and papers, placing them on the antique sideboard in the dining room. When that was done, she made a sweep of the room, wiping the eraser shavings off the table, and straightening up things that didn’t really need to be straightened before she left. Her walk down the steps of the front porch and along the curving stone path to the curb was slower than usual and she stalled before she started down the sidewalk, waiting for Gold to pull into the drive. 

At the corner, she paused at the rumbling sound of an oncoming car. Her lips pressed together in anticipation, she turned around and her breath caught as she waited for Gold’s sleek, black Cadillac to come up over the little hill. Instead, a rusty, white pickup truck rolled by and her stomach sank. Annoyed with herself, she shook her head and walked back toward downtown Storybrooke.

 

 

* * *

 

Belle’s apartment was above the library in an old loft space that had been renovated some years back into two studio apartments. Only one of them was currently rented out to her, by Mr. Gold, which only added to the awkwardness of the situation and her feelings. Sighing, she dropped her purse on the table just inside the door and then pulled off her shoes, carrying them with her fingers hooked around the heels as she made her way to her bedroom.

A shower made her feel slightly better, less sweaty and sticky from the heat, but it did nothing to quiet her mind or the gnawing ache in her belly. She flopped down on the bed in her t-shirt and underwear, and laid on her back, turning her head to stare at the small TV on her dresser. It was a rerun she’d seen at least ten times, but she watched idly for a few minutes anyway.

When the show went to commercial, she rolled onto her side and reached for her phone on the nightstand. She checked for messages or emails, but there were none. Summer was strangely slow this year, but she supposed it was because she wasn’t going to be teaching anymore. There was no need to attend summer inservices or read up on new curriculums. Certainly she’d have plenty to do once she was able to get into the high school library, but her post wouldn’t begin for another couple of weeks.

Belle’s mind drifted back to Gold, and she sank back against the pillows. The encounter at the diner weighed on her. He had been pleasant enough but there was something off, an edge to the way he looked at her that left her unsettled and anxious. She caught herself all week long thinking about the way his hands and mouth felt on her body, remembering the thick press of him inside her as he brought her to orgasm.

When she’d waited at his house earlier, she’d been hoping he’d come home and they could repeat what happened last time. Or she could go down on him instead, get her lips around his cock and suck him nice and slow until he begged her to let him come. Maybe she would swallow down everything he had, or give him a few hard tugs with her hand and let him spill all over her breasts.

She bit her lip at the thought and pressed her legs together as a familiar, warm ache settled in. Her body responded too easily to the fantasy of having Gold at her mercy, making her feel restless and tense. She needed a good fuck, but the person she wanted for the job wasn’t immediately available, so she reasoned she would have to take matters into her own hands. It was something she’d been doing more and more in the last few months anyway.

Belle shifted up on the bed and shimmied out of her knickers, dropping them over the side of the bed to the floor. She reached over and grabbed another pillow, stuffing it behind her shoulders for more support and causing the faded navy t-shirt she wore to bunch up around her waist.

She leaned back and closed her eyes, letting her thoughts drift to the night of the parent teacher conferences as her hands skimmed down her body, brushing over her breasts to rub the insides of her legs. She imagined his hands on her, urging her to open for him, teasing her by touching her everywhere except where she wanted him most. Her fingers traced lazy patterns over her hips, her waist, the creases of her thighs on her way down. She just barely touched her folds, teasing herself since she wasn’t wet enough to get anywhere yet.

Belle plucked at her nipples, longing for the heat of Gold’s mouth and the sting of his teeth and pinched herself a little bit harder. He hadn’t seen her breasts yet, and she imagined his eyes darkening with arousal as he bent his head to suck on them. Feeling a sharp tingle of arousal between her legs, she cupped and squeezed her breast with her left hand, shallowly dragging the middle finger of her other hand through her pussy, gathering the drip of arousal from her core and pulling it up to slick and tease her clit. 

A shrill sound rang out, and she jerked. She’d forgotten about her phone lying on the bed next to her, and snatched it up, answering before she had a chance to look at the caller-id.

“Hello?”

“Miss French?”

_Gold._

 

 

* * *

 

Gold waited for Belle to say something, his hand gripping the arm of his desk chair.

He hoped it wasn’t too late to be calling, but he’d nearly forgotten to do it earlier, and then once he remembered, it had taken him almost thirty minutes until he got up the courage to dial her number. Earlier when he’d come home, he’d hope to find her there, still straightening up from her tutoring session.

“ _Hello?_ ” came her voice again, and he shook himself.

“Yes, Miss French,” he started. “I’m sorry, I hope it’s alright to call this late?”

“Yeah, s’fine,” Belle said biting back a groan. She stilled the hand between her legs, and squeezed her thighs together. “Did you, uh, need something?”

The little hitch in her voice made him lick his lips as he leaned back in his chair. “I just wanted to let you know that you don’t need to come by on Thursday. The Scouts camping trip is this weekend. They leave Thursday, and we’ll be busy during the day buying all the last-minute supplies and getting Neal’s gear ready.”

Belle bit her lip. “Oh, that’s - that’s fine.”

She tried to sound normal, but it all came out too breathy and she knew she was giving herself away. Her legs spread and her fingers dipped back down her slit, skimming her little nub, and down to where she was throbbing and hot. She traced around her opening, teasing herself the way she imagined Gold would if he was there. Hearing his voice was definitely helping things along, but she was afraid of what he might say if he realized what she was doing.

Gold frowned. There was a shift in her voice that was too familiar. “Belle, are you okay?”

“Hmm?” she replied, holding off on pushing into herself like she wanted to, but still gliding her fingertips back and forth over her slippery pussy. She had a short window of time to get off and then hopefully recover enough hide it, but she also wanted to prolong the inevitable, wanted to know what he might say or do if he knew what she was doing.

 _Oh god_ , was she really contemplating phone sex with Gold?

“Belle,” he said again, a smirk curving his lips. “What are you doing?”

She made a quiet, whimpering noise as she finally gave in and started to lightly, slowly circle her swollen clit. It was hard and sensitive and when she pressed down her hips lifted off the bed as a jolt of pleasure went through her. She shifted down on her bed to spread her legs wider, giving her better access, and imagined he was there with her, hands on her thighs, pressing her open.

She moaned in his ear and he practically growled. “Fuck, are you -? Belle, sweetheart, tell me you’re touching yourself right now.”

Her teeth pressed into her lip as she tried to hold back, but he chuckled and sucked in a breath and she knew he was getting hard. “Yes,” she manage, tilting her hips up as she pushed two fingers inside herself. “ _Oh_ , yes.”

Her voice was soft, almost a sigh in his ear. It sounded just like their first time when he had her begging him to touch her, fuck her, anything at all because she wanted him so fucking bad. He ran a hand over his face, and closed his eyes, trying to picture what she might look like.

“Where are you?” he asked, shifting in his chair as his cock pressed against the front of his trousers.

“My bed,” she gasped, pulling her fingers out and spreading the slickness over her mound. She rubbed her middle and index fingers just above her clit in tight little circles, remembering how his fingers and his tongue had done the same when he spread her open on his dining chair.

Gold pulled the phone away from his ear as he popped the button on his trousers and pulled the zipper down. It was loud enough that he wondered if she could hear it, and when she let out a low groan, he knew that she had. 

“You too?” she asked, listening to the soft rustling sounds on the other end of the phone.

“Yeah,” he grunted. He swapped his phone to his left hand and wrapped his right around his cock. He stroked up and down, brushing his thumb over the head and smearing the drips of fluid along his length. The slick slip and slide of his hand was nothing compared to being inside Belle, but hearing her on the other end, her breathing sharp and rough, was a fantasy come to life.

Belle licked her lips and pulled the phone away to put it on speaker and set it on the bed next to her head. “Can you - hear me?”

“Yeah.” He groaned again and slumped lower in his chair. 

Swallowing against the dryness in his throat, he gave his shaft a hard squeeze, imagining what she might look like right now, how she was touching herself. He wanted to her beneath him, spread out in his bed, not hers. He wanted to be buried deep inside her, her legs wrapped around his waist, her nails scratching down his back as she gasped his name.

“ _Fuck_ -” he gasped feeling the first spasm in his belly. He slowed his movements and took a steadying breath to get some control back. “Tell me, Miss French, tell me how you’re touching that sweet cunt.”

She whimpered at the sound of his voice, at the way she could feel his confidence and command through the phone. “My fingers - _oh_ \- inside me. And - and my - my -”

Her words trailed off into a pained, desperate sounding cry, and he smiled. “Are you rubbing yourself too? Your hard little clit that tasted so good in my mouth? You liked that, didn’t you? You liked me spreading you open and licking every inch of you.”

Belle almost screamed, but clamped her lips together instead as her fingers moved faster. She pushed three fingers inside her pussy and felt the first flutters of her orgasm. “Yes,” she managed. “ _God_ , yes.”

He pumped his cock faster, pulling his shirt up to bare his stomach and keep the dry clean only fabric away from the impending mess. “Are you close? Are you gonna come for me, Belle?”

“Yeah, close. S’good, but it’s not - not you.” 

She pressed deeper and brought her other hand up to pinch her nipple and tug it roughly. It hurt, but it sent a frisson of pleasure right to her aching cunt, just what she needed to push her to the edge. She wanted his mouth on her again, the hard, sharp suck of his lips and the thickness of his cock sliding inside her. Her hand made a sloppy squelching sound as her fingers pumped, and she wondered if he could hear it, if he knew how fucking wet she got just from his voice and his filthy words.

“Want you,” she gasped, her hips lifting off the bed as her body strained for release. She knew she was mumbling nonsense, every other word a nearly unintelligible curse. “Here - with me - _oh fuck_ -”

Gold exhaled a shaky breath, wanting her words to mean more than what they did, more than just wanting him there to fuck her. “Me too.”

He closed his eyes and let the memories wash over him, thinking of her flushed pink skin and the quiver in her legs before she orgasmed. He could almost feel her body clenching around his cock, the tight wet heat of her begging him as he squeezed and stroked himself. His belly rippled and tightened, and he hoped she was right there with him. “Gonna come - _Belle_ \- “

She cried out and squeezed her eyes shut as she rolled to the side. Clamping her thighs together around her hand and wrist, she shoved her fingers as deep as she could and pressed her palm against her clit. Her breath came in a rapid succession of pants and gasps, as her skin tingled from head to toe. It had been a while since she’d felt her body this way, since she’d given up so completely while pleasuring herself. Her pussy pulled at her fingers and she wondered if this was what Gold felt when he touched her, this throbbing desperation and need from deep within.

He heard her come seconds before he did, her cry of pleasure ringing in his ear as a sticky warmth spilled over his hand. He whispered her name over and over as he slowly stroked himself, smearing his cum along his cock while white dots flashed in his eyes.

After a long moment, he sighed and smiled, reaching for some tissues to clean himself up. “Well, that was unexpected.”

But there was nothing but silence. He pulled the phone away from his ear and realized the call ended several seconds ago, just as they came together. His stomach sank and he dropped the phone on his desk with a thud.

 

 

* * *

 

Belle stretched languidly, and laid back against the pillows. She grinned and lifted her phone, contemplating sending Gold a quick pic of her post-orgasmic self, but her smiled faded as soon as she saw the screen.

The call had already ended.


	5. Pop Quiz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle has a no good, very bad day, and Gold makes it better. Right before he fucks it up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt at @a-monthly-rumbelling “I’m so sorry I’m late.” Please don't hate me. And don't hate Gold either. He's an idiot.

“I’m _so sorry_ I’m late...”

Belle brushed a hand over her wet skirt and looked up at Mr. Gold with a sheepish smile. A lock of hair flopped over her forehead and she blew a puff of air up at it. “It’s been a bit of a day.”

Gold frowned and let his eyes flick up and down, more than surprised to see her on his doorstep. Her clothes were damp, but not soaked, and her shoes were muddy. She looked like she’d run all the way here through the storm. Thunder rumbled overhead, signaling another round of rain was on the way, and he stepped back to let her in out of the weather.

“Late for what?” he asked.

Belle shuffled her feet on the doormat trying to knock some of the dirt loose. She shook her head and gave Gold a confused look. “For Neal’s lesson, of course.”

Gold smiled and reached up to push the fallen bit of hair back behind her ear. “We cancelled, remember? Neal’s scout trip is this weekend?”

Belle made a face and then her eyes went wide. “Oh... _oh!_ Oh my _god!_ ” She dropped her bag on the floor and buried her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry. I’m such an idiot.”

He shook his head and chuckled. “It’s alright,” he said, looking her over again and noticing the small drips from the hem of her dress. “Let me get you a towel.”

“Sorry,” she called out as he went around the corner. “I’m a _mess_ today. I forgot my workbooks this morning, so I had to run _back_ home after the library. _That_ made me late getting to Regina’s for Henry’s session. I went to Granny’s for a late lunch, realized it was almost two in the afternoon, and _freaked_ out that I wasn’t going to make it here on time.”

She sighed and her shoulders sagged. At least Neal wasn’t home to see her in her sad state, but that also made her feel even more awkward. Her phone call from a few days ago came to mind, and her face flushed. He’d hung up on her and she still wasn’t quite sure how to take it, but if she was here and he was here, and Neal was out of the house, then maybe she had an opportunity to find out.

He pulled a fresh towel from the small linen closet, then hurried back to the front door. “Here,” he said softly as he wrapped it around her.

She paused and took a breath, deflating even more as she realized how ridiculous her day had been and how stupid she must look now. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, pulling the towel tighter around her as she slipped off her dirty shoes.

“It’s no matter,” he said with a shrug. “How did you end up -?” He motioned up and down with a finger, indicating her wet attire.

Belle made an exasperated noise. “Just as I left the diner it started raining, and it lasted until I got here. Of course, I also left my umbrella at Granny’s, which was the icing on the shit-cake of my day.”

Gold laughed, his eyes warm and crinkling at the corners. “Perhaps I can improve things a bit, then?” His eyebrow arched, unsure if an invitation would be welcome after their last interaction. “Tea?”

She nodded, and a short while later they were sitting across from each other with steaming cups in their hands.

“So,” he started, fiddling with his spoon before setting it aside on the saucer. “I, uh, wasn’t sure if I’d be seeing you again.”

She licked her lips and stared down at her tea. She could feel her ears burning. “Why, uh, why is that?”

He took a slow breath and set his cup to the side as well, wiping his clammy hands on his trousers. “Well, the way our phone call ended...I didn’t know what to think.”

Belle looked away, her cheeks warm with embarrassment. He must have thought she had hung up on him the same as she thought he hung up on her. They were quite a pair. 

“That was - that was just my phone messing up,” she explained. “I should have called you back. I’m so sorry.”

He gave her a half smile and shook his head. “No, it’s - it’s fine. I thought - I mean what the hell does a person say when a call like _that_ ends like _that?_ ”

She laughed and shook her head, and he chuckled too, the tension seeming to break through their admissions. While they were both feeling awkward about, they were moving past it.

“Can I ask you something?”

Gold shifted in his seat. In his experience, no conversation that had ever started with that question had ended very well. “Of course.”

Belle exhaled and met his eyes briefly before she spoke. “What, um, what is this?”

“What, uh, what do you mean?” he countered, glancing at her only to find her looking to the side at the arm of the chair. 

“I mean this,” she said, finally meeting his eyes. “Between us.”

 _This is me being in love with you_ , he thought.

Then he licked his lips and ran a hand down his front, smoothing over the buttons on his shirt. He wasn’t sure what kind of answer she was looking for, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t any kind of romantic declaration. “It’s, uh, uh -”

“We’re friends, right?” she asked suddenly. He looked uncomfortable and the last thing she wanted was for everything to end because she pushed him to declare something that hadn’t started in the most traditional way.

His mouth worked before he managed an answer. “Of course. Did you, um, did you - not want to be anymore?”

“ _No_ ,” she said quickly. “No, nothing like that. I like what we have. Don’t you?”

“Yes.” Gold’s voice dropped lower as he spoke and he shifted in his seat again. He liked it, but he wanted so much more.

Belle swallowed and looked him in the eyes. “So, we can be - _friends_ , and - and nothing has to change right?”

He frowned for a moment. “Friends who have -”

“Benefits?” she finished, turning her head to look at him sideways as she started to smile.

She wanted to be friends and still - _oh_. Friends with benefits was what Jefferson called most of his supposed relationships. There was nothing wrong on the surface, except the sex no longer felt like enough. He wanted her, in his life, in a way he hadn’t been able to admit to himself until now, but he was a sad, desperate man who wanted to keep her near as long as he could. He could do friends with benefits. He would keep his feelings in check and still have whatever she would give him.

But she wanted _him_ , specifically. What he’d given her so far was enough to make her want more, and it bolstered his confidence.

Gold smirked. “What kind of _benefits_ did you have in mind, Miss French?”

She let her teeth drag over her bottom lip slowly as she stood and let the towel fall from her shoulders to the floor. His eyes darkened, and she crossed the short space from the chair to the sofa to stand between his knees.The light blue fabric of her dress was almost sheer, made more so by the rain that had seeped into it, and she could feel his gaze fall on her breasts.

“Do you want an itemized list or would you prefer a _demonstration_?” She grinned and dropped down on the sofa, her knees on either side of him, to settle over his lap. Her arms slid up around his shoulders as she leaned in close.

Gold groaned as he wrapped his hands around her waist and bent his head, nuzzling at the exposed skin on her chest. “Well, I’ve always been very hands-on.”

She laughed softly, and slipped her fingers into his hair, pulling gently until he looked up. “Oh, I’d like more than just your hands.”

He smiled as she kissed him, opening his mouth at the first flick of her tongue. Her fingers curled in his hair, pulling harder, and he moaned into her mouth as his hands trailed down her back, coming to rest right above her rear.

She leaned back to look at him and he drew his hands down over her backside to pull her against him. “Tell me what you want,” he said, his lips brushing hers as he moved up under the skirt of her dress to grip her bare thighs.

Belle reached up with both hands and slid the straps of her sundress down over her shoulders. It gaped at the front and Gold sat back as she pulled her arms free, letting the breezy linen fabric fall down over her chest to bunch at her waist.

He licked his lips, eyeing her breasts, and she grinned, feeling emboldened by the heat in his gaze. Her hands went behind her again, this time to unhook her bra, and she pulled it off while his mouth opened slowly, warm breath caressing her bare skin. “I want to watch you suck on my tits.”

Gold took it like a command, groaning as he ducked his head to kiss the space between her breasts, breathing her in as he flicked his tongue over her skin. He cupped her breasts in his hands, lifting and softly squeezing them to feel the weight in his palms. Her fingers dug into his shoulders when he swept his tongue over one nipple, teasing her before sealing his lips around it. 

She whimpered out and looked down, forcing her eyes open to watching his cheeks hollow as he sucked at her. His eyes were closed and he was moaning against her, like her request was something he’d been dying to do, like he was grateful for this chance to worship her body. The thumb of his free hand rubbed back and forth over her other nipple with a light touch that was maddening, but as his teeth tugged the one in his mouth, he pinched her at the same time. The sudden jolt of pleasure and sting of pain made her cry out and arch her back, pressing herself closer to him. He opened his eyes as he laved the tender peak before pulling away.

“Too much?” he asked already moving from one breast to the other.

She shook her head and pulled him closer, using the hand in his hair as leverage. “ _More._ ”

He grinned before his mouth closed around her other nipple. By the time he was finished, she was soaked and throbbing between her legs, her panties clinging to her slick folds.

He groaned as he released her, and looked up. “I want to see all of you.” His teeth grazed her skin again, lips catching and lightly pulling her nipple. “Please, Belle.”

She smiled and slid off his lap, holding her dress around her hips for a moment before she pushed it down and let it fall to the floor. A rush of air left him at the sight of her standing in nothing put a pair of ivory panties. His grin was practically feral when he noticed the wet spot where her arousal had seep through the thin material.

“See something you like, Mr. Gold?” Belle asked, resting her hands on her hips as she looked down at him. It reminded her of their first time, when she’d been sitting on the table in the teacher’s lounge and he had taken one of the smaller chairs. 

“Aye,” he replied, his voice low and gravelly. He sat forward on the sofa and reached for her, resting his face against her stomach as his fingers hooked in the waistband of her underwear.

She stopped him with a hand, pushing his head back so he was looking straight up at her. She took a slow breath and nearly shivered at how dark his eyes were, how they seemed to be staring straight into her, searching for something. His lips quirked as he started to pull her panties down.

“God, you’re wet,” he said, watching the fabric peeled away from her, trailing her juices with it. He wanted to taste her again, to make her scream and drink her down. He’d drown in her if he could. 

His nails scraped her skin on the way down, and she gasped, bracing herself on his shoulders so she could shift from one foot to the other as he pulled her panties the rest of the way off. As he straightened he stopped and licked at her once, briefly, flicking his tongue through her slit just long enough to make her cry out for more.

Her legs wobbled and he caught her by the hips, holding her up as she gaped down at him. 

“Bastard.”

Gold wagged his eyebrows and grinned. “Come here.”

He shifted on the couch, moving to one side and stretching out across the cushions. She followed him and sat astride his legs and started on his belt, sliding the leather out of the buckle before he stopped her.

“No, not yet,” he said, taking her hands and tugging until she moved further up his body. She stopped straddling his chest, and he took hold of her hips. “All the way up, sweetheart.”

Belle tried to ignore the way her heart stuttered at his words and shuffled further up his body. Her knees settled on either side of his head, and she moaned as she looked down and saw his face between her thighs, her pussy inches from his face. He licked at her again, sweeping the traces of her desire from the inside of her leg. 

His voice was a low rumble that sent shivers down her spine. “I want to taste all of you,” he said, watching as she trembled and tried to keep from sitting all the way down on his face. Not that he would have minded.

He slipped one fingertip inside her and felt her body grab at him, needing to pull him deeper. She keened and he pressed a kiss to the crease of her thigh as he circled her opening, around and around. She bit her lip as he finally slid his finger all the way inside her, pressing deep and using it to draw her down to his mouth. 

The simultaneous groans they let out as his mouth covered her pussy filled the silence. She braced one hand on the back of the sofa and the other on the armrest behind his head, trying to hold herself off enough that he could breathe.

She cried out as he licked at her and into her, his tongue keeping a soft, steady pace and never giving her a break as his arms held her tight. Unyielding, he kept her over his mouth, leaving her unable to do anything except writhe against his face and dig her short nails into the upholstery. She felt him moan into her, the vibrations adding to the sensations of his lips and tongue.

Gold heard a steady stream of incoherent words spill out of her mouth, both curses and pleas, as she gripped the sofa, fighting the urge to grind against his mouth. He held her fast and used one hand on her ass to tilt her up so he could press two fingers into her.

Belle keened and started rocking against his fingers, fucking herself on his hand and his mouth at the same time. He took her clit between his lips and sucked hard, pressing it against the edge of his teeth. Leaving no part of her untouched, he tasted her, devoured her, worshipped her. Ignoring the insistent throb of his cock as it pressed against the front of his trousers.

"Oh!" she gasped. “ _Fuck_ that’s -”

She couldn't stop shaking and her hands were all over the place, grasping at his hair, the sofa, and the strong hands that held her at his mercy. His fingers were going to leave bruises on her thighs, which trembled and ached both from the need for release and from trying to hold herself up. With a small sobbing plea, her whole body stiffened and shook with the force of her orgasm. 

Gold moaned low and deep as she came, feeling her fluids drench his chin. He moaned again, moving her himself so he could lick into her, chasing his fingers and licking her through it, almost to the point of overstimulation. A moment later he felt her whole body go limp and sag above him. She started to tip to the side and would have fallen to the floor in a boneless heap if not for his hands catching her around the waist and moving her back to rest on his chest. 

The grin he wore was shiny with her fluids. He licked his lips like she was the best thing he had ever tasted, and she shuddered, her breath coming in pants.

“Wow,” she managed after her head stopped spinning.

Gold chuckled and swiped a hand over his mouth as she pushed herself up to kiss him. The taste of herself on his lips brought a fresh rush of desire. Reaching down, she pressed her palm to the front of his trousers, rubbing the heel of her hand along the hard ridge of his erection. He moaned beneath her as she lifted up on her knees, repositioning herself across his hips. 

“Belle,” he panted, barely resisting the urge to lift his hips as she tugged on his belt. Within seconds she freed his cock and he was throbbing in her hand. He let out a whimper as she held him against her softness, letting him slide through her slick, swollen pussy. 

He groaned as if he was in pain, and grabbed her wrist. “I won’t last if you keep that up.”

“Then don’t,” she said, rising up and holding his gaze as she guided him inside. 

The stretch was too good as she lowered herself down, and she couldn’t hold back the gasp as she sunk to the base of him. His mouth fell open as she shifted her hips and spread her legs further, taking him as deep as possible.

“Fuck, Belle,” he managed, his voice cracking on her name.

Belle rose up again only to slide back down, dropping hard against his lap and making him grunt and grip her waist hard. After two more thrusts, he got his feet under him, and started meeting her movements with the sharp snap of his hips, his hands pulling her down. Tension coiled in his belly as he fought to hold back his orgasm. He wanted to feel her come again, but it was too good, the hot, slick slide of her and the rough, demanding way she fucked him.

She clawed at his chest, and rubbed her clit with her free hand as he gave a loud shout. He came hard inside her, pumping his hips and rocking her against him, and it was enough to pull her over too. 

It was less intense than the first and she reveled in watching the way his face changed, eyes squeezed tight and jaw slack. She fell over him, biting her lip around a satisfied grin. These were the kinds of benefits a woman could get used to, and if Neal was away for the whole weekend, that lent itself to all sorts of possibilities. Maybe they'd even be more than friends by the end of it, if she was brave enough to voice what she was feeling.

“Wow,” he said, echoing her earlier sentiment.

She laughed and swatted at his chest, and he smiled at her as he brushed her hair back from her face.

Belle pushed up and moved off of him, wobbling until her legs remembered how to work again. “I think the tea’s gone cold.”

Gold chuckled and sat up. “Pity. Guess we'll have to make more.”

She picked up her dress and bra, turning to give him a saucy look over her shoulder. “I think -”

A car honked, the front door slammed, and Gold's eyes went wide.

“Papa!” Neal's voice called out. “I'm home!”

Belle swore under her breath and bolted for the hall bathroom, grateful the study had two sets of doors in and out. Gold hurried to pull up his trousers and right himself. He managed to get his button done up just as his son came to stand in the doorway from the kitchen.

“Oh,” Neal said, smiling. “Here you are.”

“Yes,” Gold replied, a bit breathless. “Yes, I was just finishing up some work. What are you -”

He stopped when he noticed Belle's panties lying on the rug beside the sofa, and hastily shoved them under the furniture before Neal could see.

“What are you doing home?”

Neal sighed and flopped back on the chair that just a short while ago Belle had been sitting in. Her tea cup and saucer were on the side table, practically screaming that Gold had company.

“The rain started up again and Mr. Nolan said it was going to last all weekend,” the boy said with another heavy sigh. “So we couldn't go camping.”

Gold frowned. “Oh, I didn't notice the weather forecast had changed. I'm sorry, son.” He took up his cane and moved to stand by Neal, glancing over his shoulder at the door, wondering where Belle was. “I'm sure they'll reschedule before school starts.”

“Yeah.” Neal’s head rolled to the side and he frowned. “Why is there a tea cup sitting there?”

Gold’s hand flexed on the hand of his cane. “I made tea when I got home.”

The boy’s frown deepened. “But there’s another cup over there by the sofa. And you always sit on that end of the sofa...”

“Hey,” came Belle’s voice. She inched into the doorway, hesitantly waving at Neal. “Sorry, I was - I was in the bathroom.”

“Miss Belle!” Neal brightened and hopped off the chair. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I forgot that -”

“Oh, she was just leaving.”

Belle and Gold spoke at the same time, but she stopped at his words and looked at him wide eyed for a long moment. He could feel the weight of her stare and he cringed inwardly, wishing in vain that he was a better, braver man. 

Then she swallowed and squared her shoulders.

“Yeah,” she said, her voice flat. “I was just leaving...”


	6. Homework

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the immediate aftermath of Neal disrupting their activities, Gold calls Belle and makes amends for his behavior. AKA Gold done fucked up and he knows it, but Belle is pretty forgiving...and also horny on main.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because in the midst of an Angst War we all need a smutty reprieve. ;)

As soon as the door closed behind Belle, Gold knew he’d made a huge mistake.

He sighed as he turned, and met his son’s raised eyebrows.

“You didn’t have to -”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Gold said tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Just - go change out of your Scout uniform.”

Neal huffed and rolled his eyes as he stomped out of the room. Instead of chastising his attitude, Gold shook his head and sat down on the arm of the sofa. He picked up his phone and stared at the screen, waiting until he heard his son's feet bounding up the stairs before dialing Belle’s number. He held his breath while the phone rang, trying to think of what he could say that would make up for shooing her out of the door mere minutes after she’d sat on his face and then fucked him senseless. He let out another heavy sigh as the call went to voicemail, and then hung up, letting the phone drop to the side table with a light thud.

It wasn’t a surprise that she didn’t answer. She’d probably sent his call to voicemail immediately with a quick, perfunctory swipe. It was what he deserved after the shameful way he behaved. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his feelings out of this new arrangement they had, but it wouldn't matter if she never spoke to him again.

Neal came down the stairs, and Gold made his way into the hall. “Hungry?” he asked.

Neal nodded, and then followed after Gold into the kitchen. “Mr. Nolan wanted to cancel in time for supper if the rain wasn’t going to stop. That’s why we came back so early.”

Gold made a slightly disgruntled noise. “Sensible of him.”

 _If inconvenient_ , he didn’t say.

Neal hopped up on one of the stools at the island and started playing a puzzle game on his tablet while Gold got things out of the cupboards. “What’re we having?”

“I had everything for spaghetti ready to go,” he answered, pausing to watch his son’s game until the boy nudged him in the ribs. “I figured the leftovers would last me through the weekend.”

Neal grinned. “You could have asked Miss Belle to stay for dinner.”

There was a loud clang as a pan hit the stove top, and Gold winced at the sharp sound. “I could have, but she - she had an appointment.”

Neal shrugged and went back to his game. Gold wasn’t sure if his son actually believed him, but at least his excuse had ended the particular conversation. Of course he could have invited Belle to stay, and he probably would have if Neal hadn’t come home so abruptly. He could have played it off as a casual dinner between friends. Friends who also enjoyed other things like kissing and fucking and making each other scream. 

Perfectly normal.

He shook his head and set the pasta water to boil, wondering how long he should wait to try calling Belle again. He still had no idea what to say, but starting with _I’m very very, very sorry I’m a certified idiot_ seemed like a good starting point. If by some miracle she forgave him, and they were going to continue to enjoy these - benefits - they should probably establish some sort of ground rules.

Yes, he thought, rules would help. Rules created boundaries and he had a feeling he was going to need them before the end of the summer.

 

 

* * *

 

By the time Belle got home, she was well and truly soaked. Her day had gone from bad to worse to utterly disastrous, just when she thought things were looking up. The walk from Gold's house to her apartment had been the longest walk of shame ever. 

She was furious with him for being so quick to dismiss her, but she was also mad herself for letting things go too far. How would she ever survive being friends with benefits with her heart intact? 

With a sigh, she dropped her purse on the table behind the sofa and pulled out her phone. The screen showed one missed call, and she groaned when she saw it had been from Gold. The timestamp indicated it came within minutes of her leaving his house. 

Belle bit her lip and contemplated calling him back. She wasn't sure what he wanted, but the idea of missing the opportunity to talk to him or be with him made her heart sink. It was pathetic, she thought, to keep mooning over him like this when he clearly didn't want her for more than a convenient shag.

Still, he had seemed pretty shaken by Neal showing up unexpectedly. It had to be strange to know your child could have caught you in a compromising position with their teacher. Maybe he'd just reacted in the moment. Maybe it wasn't a reflection on her at all.

She frowned and tapped her thumbnail against the edge of the screen as she moved into her bedroom. The phone lay on the bed while she peeled off her wet clothes and took out a pair of comfy sweats and a t-shirt. Gold's phone number shined up at her as she set the clothing on the bed. Even if he was calling to apologize, even if the whole situation had been awkward for both of them and he'd blurted out the only excuse he could manage, it wouldn't hurt to make him wait. 

Perhaps then she'd know if he really cared or not. Was he at all concerned about her, or was she just a good fuck. Smiling a little, she headed for the bathroom and a hot shower.

 

 

* * *

 

Gold nearly fell out of his chair at the sound of his cell phone vibrating across the coffee table. He snatched it up at the sight of Belle's name, just before it slid off the edge. True to form, he fumbled a bit as he tried to answer the call.

“Hello?” he said hastily, pulling the phone away for a second to see if the call had actually connected before putting it back to his ear. “Hello?”

“Hey,” came Belle’s soft voice.

Gold sagged in his leather recliner and sighed. “I’m so sorry about earlier. I was - an idiot. I was too surprised by Neal to have any idea what to say to him, and I know what I did was unforgivably rude.”

Belle bit her lip around a smile as he babbled on, including another very apologetic-sounding sorry with every other sentence. He seemed properly contrite, and she shook her head.

“It will never happen again, I swear it. I -”

“It’s okay,” she interrupted.

He swallowed, almost afraid to believe she might forgive him. “It is?”

“Yes,” she said firmly. “It was just _so_ awkward and shocking and - and I don’t think I handled it well either.”

Gold exhaled and leaned his head back. “I really am sorry.”

She laughed. “I know you are. I’m sorry too, I didn’t mean to ignore your call earlier. I just didn’t hear it while I was walking.”

He started to smile, imagining the litany of disparaging words running through her head directed specifically at him. He couldn’t blame her, though.

“It’s no matter,” he said. “I probably deserved to stew a little and think about what I’d done.”

“Hmm, well, now that you’ve stewed a little bit…” She paused and stretched out on her bed. “I, uh, left something behind. At your house.”

Gold licked his bottom lip as he bent over to retrieve her panties from under the edge of the sofa where he’d shoved them out of sight from Neal. “Indeed,” he replied, his voice dropping as he sat back in the chair.

The elastic band of her underwear was looped over his finger, dangling in front of him. He resisted the urge to do anything lewd with them, though the desire to see if they still smelled of her, or if they were still wet with her arousal was strong.

“I assume you found them,” she said, grinning.

“I may be in possession of them currently, in fact.” He shifted in his seat, spreading his legs as tension coiled in his belly. “I presume you would like them returned?”

“Yes,” she answered, her voice betraying the building throb between her thighs. “What did you have in mind?”

Gold smirked and allowed himself to touch her discarded panties a little bit more, assuming she wouldn’t mind, even if she never had to know. He rubbed the soft silk between his fingers, remembering how stunning she’d looked standing in front of him, naked but for this flimsy fabric. His cock was stirring and this was not the place to be doing this, not when there was still the possibility of Neal waking up and catching him.

“I’m sure we can come to an arrangement, Miss French.”

Belle pressed her legs together, feeling the first rush of arousal just from the commanding way he said her name. “You mean one of your infamous deals?”

He almost laughed. “If you like. What did you have in mind?”

“I could - come to your shop?”With no panties on, she didn’t say. The hand that wasn’t holding the phone toyed with the waistband of her pajama shorts, brushing her navel. Her fingers slipped under the elastic to touch the coarse curls at the top of her mound. She’d been wondering if she should go back to shaving, but Gold hadn’t seemed to mind. Heat washed over her at the memory of his mouth on her, and the greedy sounds he made as he ate her out.

She licked her lips and spread her legs. “Tomorrow afternoon?”

Gold hummed low and let the hand holding her underwear drop to his lap. It was too easy to imagine the perverted things he could do with them, and he closed his eyes, breathing out slowly. His hand and Belle’s underwear pressed against the hardening ridge in his trousers and swallowed hard.

“Perfect.”

Grinning, Belle said goodbye, waiting until he replied with an equally low and breathy goodnight. As soon as the call ended, her hand started working between her legs, bringing herself quickly off at the thought of what might happen tomorrow. For some time she’d fantasized about doing all manner of naughty things in Gold’s shop.

It was time to make some of those thoughts a reality.


	7. Extra Credit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle goes to visit Gold in his shop, and of course naughtiness ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI. It's been a while since I wrote these two, but I'm back with extra smutty smut. Please note the tags have been updated in this regard. There be some mild spanking and fun and games. And also a hint of cane porn, because why not?

Belle stood outside the pawn shop, fiddling with the strap of her purse.

She looked up and down the street and bit her lip. Even though there was no one about, she still felt like everyone knew what she was doing, could sense her ulterior motives for going to Gold’s shop on _this_ day, at _this_ time. As if every other visit had been completely innocent and not because she was utterly infatuated with the man, or because she needed to see his face and hear his voice, giving her something to recall later when she was alone in her apartment.

She reached for the door handle and hesitated again. Her free hand pressed the skirt of her dress down as a breeze made it flutter. A faint blush crept up her neck and cheeks, and she wondered if she could pull this off without making an idiot of herself. Or without coming across like some kind of brazen harlot, as if she did things like this all the time - or had ever done it before now. Not that she had anything against anyone who did. She often wished she could be more confident in herself that way, more secure in her sexuality. Gold had helped a bit with that, though every time they had been together it felt like he’d been the one in control. Not that she had anything against him taking charge, but today she wanted to turn the tables a little. Perhaps in the process she could show him how much she liked him, how much she wanted to please him as much as he had pleased her.

Squaring her shoulders, she blew out a breath and finally pushed the door open.

The jingle of the bell was almost entirely drowned out by the sound of music coming from the back room. Belle grinned as Gold rolled back on his stool and poked his head around the edge of the doorway to the backroom. She turned briefly and flipped the lock on the door, hoping he didn’t notice.

“Hey,” he said, smiling, and pushing to his feet as she walked towards him. “I wasn’t expecting you until later.”

She shrugged and move around him, her skirt swaying around her legs. “I know, but I finished early at Jefferson’s. Grace hardly needs my help these days to get good grades.”

Gold nodded and rolled the stool over to the workbench where his cane leaned against the edge. “She’s a very smart girl,” he said, reaching over to switch off the small radio.

Belle hummed and came up beside him, her hand brushing his back briefly. “What treasures are you working on today, Mr. Gold?”

He gave her a sly smile. “I’ve been trying to get this little gem back into shape for most of the afternoon.” 

He gestured toward a rectangular wood box in a deep chocolate color. It was lined with a dark red velvet material and she leaned forward to peer inside. The lid had been separated from the box by its hinges and set aside. It was a slightly lighter color than the rest and inlaid with other woods in light gold and reddish tones, forming a rose shape in the center.

“Oh…” she breathed, smiling. “It’s...it’s beautiful.”

“It’s a music box,” he said softly, bracing on the table with one hand. “I had to remove the lid to access the little mechanism that makes it play when you open it.” He demonstrated by poking his finger at a small metal lever at the back of the box. 

When it popped forward, it started playing a familiar tune, and Belle sighed happily and smiled. “Chopin. Nocturne in e-flat major.” 

He nodded again as the song stopped. “You have a good ear.” 

She looked over at him and winked. “Among other good things.” She touched the lid of the box, her fingers lightly skimming the shape of the rose. “The work is stunning.”

“Yes,” he agreed, straightening and stepping back from the bench. “It’s very high quality Swiss marquetry. The best I’ve seen in some time.”

Belle bent further over the workbench and touched the soft velvet lining. “I’d love to see it when it’s finished.”

Gold hummed and tilted his head. The sundress she was wearing was short and her position made it ride high on her legs, barely covering her backside. It wasn’t hard to tell that there was something missing beneath it, and he smirked.

“Miss French?” he asked, lifting his cane and sliding his hand down to the middle of it. “Did you forget something before you came to visit me?”

The touch of something cool on the back of her thigh made her gasp. “ _Oh_...well, I did leave something behind at your house.”

He used the handle of his cane to lift the hem of her dress, raising it enough to confirm his suspicions. “Was that your only pair of underwear?”

She gave a throaty laugh and looked over her shoulder. “Nope.”

He let the cane move down again, caressing the round swell of one cheek before it went down along the length of her right leg to the back of her knee. His trousers were getting tight, his cock hardening rapidly at the sight her bent over and bare, intentionally going without any panties just to tease him.

A rumbling growl slipped out of him as he brought the handle of the cane back up her other leg. Her hips swayed side to side as the textured handled moved against her skin, and she could feel herself getting wet. An aching heat was growing inside her, a pulsing need for something to fill her and bring her release. The cane bumped against her center from behind and she moaned as an image of the handle sliding into her popped into her head unbidden. He did it again, brushing her slick folds, and her stance widened slightly, almost begging him to do it.

He chuckled and licked his lips, then pulled the cane away as he stepped closer. She whimpered and he hushed her gently, replacing the cool, impersonal touch of his cane with the warmth of his hands. He lifted her dress, folding the skirt up over her back and looking his fill. Her pussy was practically dripping and if he looked at the handle of his cane he would probably find it sticky with her arousal. His mouth watered at the thought of tasting her again, of dropping to his knees behind her and making her scream.

She wiggled against him, brushing againsting the hard ridge of his cock where it strained his zipper.

“Someone’s eager,” he said, rubbing her arse with his right hand while the left rested on her lower back, keeping her bent over. “And very naughty.”

The slow back and forth motion of his palm was soothing, but all Belle could think of was how it was a soft, perfect prelude to something else. She bit her lip to keep from saying it out loud, yet the thought of it wouldn’t leave. It was something she’d tried once with a girlfriend in college, and while Anna hadn’t been into it all that much, Belle knew she could do it again with the right person.

“Do it,” she said suddenly, squeezing her eyes shut as she lowered herself over the top of the workbench. “I want you to.”

Gold stopped, his hand cupping her backside. There was only one thing in his mind that she could mean. He looked down and imagined the soft, pale flesh under his palm tinged pink and heated. It made him swallow a groan at the thought, but he had to be sure.

“Do what?” he asked, his voice straining to get the words out. She made a noise and pushed her ass back against him. He gave her a light squeeze in return. “Belle, sweetheart, I need you to say it.”

She licked her lips and lifted her head to look back at him. “Spank me.”

The noise he made was feral and inhuman as he shifted and drew his hand back. He met her eyes and waited for her to give him the briefest nod before he brought it down against her right cheek. It was a light smack, with about as much force as he used when his son insisted on giving him a high-five, but the noise of skin meeting skin rang out in the quiet space. 

She squeaked and then moaned, scraping her nails against the wood and wishing it was the sheets on his bed. “Again.”

He brought his hand down in the same fashion on the other side, soliciting the same light little noise from her that went straight to his groin. His cock was impossibly hard now, trapped behind two layers of clothing and pressing hard into his zipper.

“More?” he asked, soothing the place he’d just hit with a light rub.

Belle nodded. “Harder.”

His eyebrow lifted right before his hand swung down again, cracking against the roundest part of her arse, in almost the same place as his first, more gentle slap. She cried out, and for a second he thought maybe it was too much, that he’d gone too far, but the low sound that followed it was unmistakably lustful.

Her mind was swimming with all sorts of lurid, filthy thoughts as Gold spanked her three more times, making four on each cheek. There was a light, stinging heat to her skin, and she wondered if her ass was as flushed as her cheeks. His hand was warm too, and the gentle rubbing of his palm was making her pussy throb with the need to be filled.

“Well, someone enjoyed that.” He looked down at the light pink glow of her skin and smiled. “Two more, I think.”

Gold waited for her breathy _yes_ of agreement before striking her one last time on each side. These two were harder than the others and lower, towards the tops of her thighs, where he knew it would sting just a bit more. 

She bucked and lifted one leg at the unexpected change, the pain sharper and lingering longer, and dropped against the workbench, panting. “Fuck,” she mumbled over and over, reveling in the way his hand made her skin sing.

He chuckled darkly, and soothed her skin once more before moving his hand between her legs. His fingers slipped easily between her swollen lips, squelching wetly as he pushed inside, pumping in and out of her dripping cunt. He twisted them one way and then the other, probing until she started to push back against him, trying to fuck herself on his fingers. He swore and moaned at the hot, slick feel of her. He ached to fuck her, and his free hand went to his belt, working to tug it open and be inside her as soon as possible.

The sound of the belt buckle clinking brought Belle out of her daze, and as much as she wanted to feel all of him in her, she wanted to carry out her plan even more. She wanted him at her mercy.

As soon as he pulled his fingers out of her, she straightened and turned, letting the skirt of her dress fall down over her pink arse. He barely had time to realized what was happening before she was grabbing his shirt and hauling him to her, fusing their lips together in a messy kiss. His hand came up to cup her cheek, the other hanging slack at his side, still sticky and covered in her. She pushed him back, and they stumbled until he caught the edge of the old cot with the back of his knees.

Gold sat down hard on the lumpy mattress, his lips forcibly pulled away from Belle’s. His mouth hung open as she lowered herself gracefully and shifted to kneel between his spread legs. Belt and button already undone, all she had to do was pull the zipper down and free his cock.

His head fell back against the wood paneling as she stroked him. “Belle, I -”

The rest of his words morphed into a strangled groan as her mouth covered the head of his cock and held it between her lips. She suckled gently, letting her tongue play over the tip until he swore again and babbled out a litany of pleading nonsense. Slowly, her mouth work its way down his length until her lips met her hand where it wrapped around the base. Then she pulled up just as slowly, holding him tight with her mouth and fingers, and pressing her tongue to the vein on the underside of his shaft. It pulsed against her, and she felt his hand thread in her hair, pulling it back from her face.

Gold watched, stunned, as she took him in her mouth, moving up and down steadily until his vision blurred and he spurted in her throat. She gagged slightly and drew up, but held him in her wet lips as he gave up everything he had. He felt utterly wrecked, and his face flushed with embarrassment as she sat back.

Her hand was still wrapped around his cock when she looked up at him, licking her lips to signify that she’d swallowed every last drop. 

“Well, someone enjoyed that,” she said, echoing his earlier words. He looked away and tried to push back, and she immediately climbed up onto the cot, straddling his lap. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “That was…”

“Amazing?” she supplied, smiling.

Gold nodded and then met her eyes. “Yes, and also a bit - shorter - than I’d hoped.”

Belle bit her lip, still smiling and leaned in to kiss him softly. “Clearly,” she said, pausing to suck briefly on his bottom lip. “I minded.”

She drew his hand between her legs, returning it to where it had been before she’d turned the tables on him, and he moaned. His fingers found their way inside her again, and he watched the expression on her face change from a self-satisfied smirk to a gasping, open mouth. 

Her hips shifted against his hand as he pushed deeper, setting his thumb against her clit. She was keyed up from his teasing and spanking, and she knew she wasn’t going to last long, either. Every time they were together the sex got better, her body craving his expert touch more and more.

She fell forward, bracing her hands on his shoulders, and his arm came up around her, holding her to him as he fucked her harder. “Is this what you came here for, Belle?” he asked, kissing at her neck as he spoke. “You came to my shop with no knickers to get spanked and fucked.”

Belle cried out as she felt her legs tensing. “Oh - yes - _fuck yes_ -”

She forced herself up, meeting his eyes as her pussy clenched around his fingers. They were dark and sparkling, filled with something she knew she’d get lost in if she stared too long. Then he moved his hand just right, pressing and rubbing her clit just a little harder, and she broke with a sharp squeal. It was like she was melting and flying and shattering all at once, her body a mess of motion that made her forehead collide with his and her thighs ache and burn.

“Shit, sorry,” she said after it was all over. Her hand came up to rub the spot above her eye where she’d bumped him.

Gold shrugged. “It’s no matter. I’ll gladly survive some minor head trauma if it means I can see you like that again.”

She felt her cheeks blush, and then a gentle pressure as he pulled her down for a searing kiss.

“I haven’t - done _that_ \- with anyone in, uh, in a long time,” she said a short while later, after they had righted themselves and gotten up off the cot.

“Which part?” Gold asked, flashing her a cheeky smile.

She swatted at his arm with her hand, and grinned as she looked away. “You know what.”

He touched her shoulder and urged her to look at him. “Are you...embarrassed?”

Belle shrugged and gave him a hesitant glance. “No - yes - well...kinda.” Then she sighed. “Maybe, um, ashamed? A bit?”

“Hey, hey,” he said, pulling her to him and kissing her forehead. “None of that now.”

She tipped her head up, and he brushed back a lock of her hair.

“Did you do anything you didn’t want to do?”

She shook her head. “No, I just -”

“Neither did I,” he continued. Then his head tilted and he smiled. “In fact I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been thinking it.”

At that, she giggled and reached up to hold his hand where it cupped the side of her face.

“This...arrangement...we have, whatever you want to call it, I don’t -” He stopped to take a breath and run his palms down her arms, catching her hands and lifting them to his lips. “I don’t want you to feel anything like that here, alright? No shame. No embarrassment. Alright?”

Belle nodded. “Alright.” Then she reached up and brushed her thumb against his bottom lip. “Then that means you don’t get to feel that way either. Not for what you do to me, or -” She pushed up on her toes to catch his lip between hers, flicking her tongue over it. “Or for how fast you come when you’re in my mouth.”

Gold’s eyelids lowered and he let out a low, growling noise that made her smirk and giggle again. 

“Deal?” she asked, brushing her mouth over his.

“Deal,” he replied, his tongue and lips already pressing towards hers.

He kissed her breathless, pushing her against the workbench where all this had started, and ran his hand up under her dress to squeeze her bottom and run his palm over all the spots he’d spanked earlier. She moaned into his mouth and hitched her leg up to press herself as close as possible. 

Before things could get out of hand again, they pulled apart, and Belle headed through the curtain into the front of the shop. She was still wet between her legs, only now it was from her orgasm and she wanted to get home and clean herself up properly.

“It’s late,” she said, turning as Gold stepped through. Seeing his cane in hand again made her shiver, and she knew what fantasy would play out tonight when she couldn’t fall asleep from all the lingering tension in her body. “I, um, I should probably unlock your door and get going. It’s rent day, right?”

He nodded and smiled. “Neal has a redo on his scout trip next week.”

She swayed back and forth, twirling her dress slightly and drawing his thoughts back to what she wasn’t wearing. “Oh?”

He swallowed hard. “I, um, was thinking maybe we could, uh, do dinner?”

“Dinner?” she repeated, giving him the most innocent look she could muster.

“Yes, I never did return your - _property_.” He squeezed the handle of his cane, fighting the urge to reach for her and drag her back to his rickety old cot. Sod the rent, he’d happily collect her moans and screams instead.

“Oh, right.” Belle bit her lip, letting her teeth drag over it teasingly as his eyes darkened. She felt more confident now, and hoped that maybe this was her second chance to turn these benefits into something more. “Dinner sounds great.”

Gold felt dazed as he watched her walk to the door and click open the deadbolt. The sign still said open and he wondered if anyone had happened by, tried to open it, and heard them inside. The breeze flirted with her dress as she pulled open the door, and he swallowed again, wondering how he would make it until next week, or next month, or hell, even tomorrow, with the thrumming heat in his veins for Belle French. 

She looked back over her shoulder and smoothed down the back of her dress, pressing it over the curve of her arse, and delighting in the way he wobbled in place, his cane probably the only thing holding him up. 

“See you later, Rum.”


	8. Pass or Fail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle goes to Gold's house for dinner, but things don't turn out the way either of them plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I know this fic has taken forever to get updated. There is one more chapter and a short epilogue. Don't hate me for leaving it where I did, I needed to break it up somewhere. ;)

It had been hot and sticky all week, as summer slipped into its last, lazy days, making the hours drag by leading up to tonight.

Every morning Belle awoke to a needy, slippery emptiness, and the throb of her pulse between her legs. Thinking about her encounter with Gold in the pawn shop made it worse, her brain gleefully replaying how his hands had felt on her skin, making it sing and sting in equal measure.

In the moment, she’d been terrified she would shock him with her request, that he’d balk at the idea, or worse, mock her for it. But he’d been as enamored with the idea as she had, and it had resulted in some of the best sex of her life. Part of her thought it was a bit pathetic that getting spanked and fingered in the back of a pawn shop was a highlight of her sexual experience. It was a bit like Ruby’s story of going down on her first girlfriend in the back of an 85 Ford Escort hatchback.

On her walk over to Gold’s house she patted her hair and smoothed her skirt with nervous energy. It had been a while since she’d been on a date, and she was being overly critical. Then she’d caught herself as she stood on his front porch, waiting for him to open the door; this wasn't a date. You didn't go on dates with _friends_ with whom you happened to be sharing some _benefits_. It didn’t matter that he’d suggested dinner; it was just an excuse for her to be here, a means to an end.

Now dinner was over and here she was again, practically loitering around his house, waiting for him to finish cleaning up the kitchen, waiting for the inevitable end. She hated how much she wanted him, how much she craved these moments, both the sex and the intimacy. Knowing it would never be more than sex for him hurt, and she sighed as she ran her fingertips over the leather bound volumes of law books along one shelf of his bookcase.

They’d done nothing but talk all evening, about books and movies and her plans for new programs at the school library. It had been so easy to let it feel like a real date, like this was something they could do any night of the week and not just when his son was away. It made her feel less like a cheap fling and more like someone he actually cared about. She supposed he did care in a way, just not as much as she wanted him to, and somehow his casualness made it all the more worse.

Gold moved into the doorway of his study and watched as Belle moved along the bookshelves behind his desk. He wondered what she was thinking, and if she was feeling any of the same apprehension he was. This evening felt different, and not just because they were spending more time together than it took for a quick fuck. Summer was coming to an end, and in two more weeks the schools would be open. There would be few excuses for her to come around to his house, and fewer hours free for liaisons in his shop.

He’d been so nervous making dinner than he rendered the noodles inedible and had to make a second batch. Then there was the small issue of not being able to get the cork out of the wine bottle. He’d flailed a bit, grabbing this and that to try to pry it out, until Belle had gently taken it from him and used the corkscrew to do it easily. The whole incident left him feeling like an idiot, but in spite of his fumbling things had gone well. The tension between them that was usually present from the minute they entered the same room was still there, but it was tempered with something else, something new and hesitant.

He found himself hoping this could be the moment things changed, but it was just as likely to be the end. As summer closed so too would his sizzling fling with the woman of his dreams. She’d go off to her new job, and eventually some new suitor, and he would be left with nothing but memories and lurid dreams. 

He sighed as he stepped into the room, letting his eyes linger on her legs as he drew his gaze up her body. The sun was low, casting a hazy glow through the sheer curtains of the study, and making her hair shimmer like it was woven with golden strands. She always looked perfect in his space, whether it was his house or his shop, like she was just a little bit at home. The thought made his chest ache, and he shook his head, pushing it away.

“There you are,” he said, smiling as she stopped rummaging through the books and turned.

She pulled her hands away from the rows of books and folded them in front of her. “Here I am.” He crossed the space, and the quiet tap of his cane made her stomach twist. “Thank you for dinner. It - it was lovely. Probably the best meal I’ve had in a long time.”

He smiled again and inclined his head. “I’m glad you liked it, despite my little mishaps.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she said, waving a hand. “Everyone boils over a pot or burns something now and then.”

“I don’t often get to cook for another person who appreciates complexity of flavor beyond mixing ketchup and mustard together.”

He gave her a wry smile, and she laughed. “Hey now, next you’ll be disparaging hot dogs on mac and cheese.”

Gold chuckled and pressed one hand to his chest. “I would never.” Then he reached up and brushed back a lock of her hair from her forehead, watching as she bit her lip. “Would you like another glass of wine?”

His voice had softened, and she looked away for a moment, knowing what the change in tone meant. Her thighs pressed together and she let herself lean back a little, resting her shoulders against the shelves. It was easy to imagine how it might happen, how he would push her back, rattling the books as his hands lifted her skirt. She’d come with his fingers inside her and Black’s Law Dictionary digging into her spine.

“Belle?”

She blinked, realizing he’d been waiting for her answer, and then shook her head. “Uh, no. No, I’m good, thanks.”

Gold pressed his lips together and twisted his cane against the floor. “Did you, um, want anything else? Coffee or tea?”

She shook her head again, making her loose curls sway over her shoulders. He swallowed and watched as her expression shifted, her eyes floating away to look at something off to the side, almost impatiently. “Did you...want to go upstairs?”

He saw the bob of her throat and moved closer. Her head tipped up to look up at him, and he lowered his mouth to hers, brushing her lips with his before sliding to the side. His warm breath ghosted over her cheek and down her neck as the tip of his nose hovered along her skin.

“Is that what you want?” he asked, flicking his tongue against the hollow of her throat, where the top of her blouse gaped open. Her body shifted, inching towards his, her neck angled to the side to bare her throat just a little more.

Belle’s breath caught as he finally touched his lips to her neck in a light, barely there kiss. The strain of holding back had her curling her fingertips over the edge of the shelf behind her, fighting the urge to grab him and haul him against her. 

Gold’s mouth curved into a smirk as he drew back to meet her eyes, and raised his hand to trail a finger down the buttons on the front of her shirt. “It’s what you came here for, isn’t it? To get fucked?”

She licked at her bottom lip as she forced her eyes away from the gaping collar of his shirt, where the top buttons were undone, exposing the front of his throat and the shallow V of skin above his chest. Her gaze moved up to meet his eyes, and her mouth opened as her breathing increased.

“Is that what you need, Belle?” He bent his head, rubbing his nose against the apple of her cheek as he let his cane lean against the shelves. One hand slipped into her hair, pulling her hair gently, as the other cupped her arse.

Her legs shifted, making her core throb as her body responded to his filthy words and teasing touch. She made a tiny, desperate noise and tipped her face up, bringing their mouths together. His tongue swept over her lips and then pressed inside as he pushed her against the shelves. Spurred into action, her hands reached up and pulled at his shirt, keeping him close as her hips pitched forward.

Gold gripped her waist, holding her steady as he pulled back. “Here?” he asked as his hands moved up over her hips and along her torso to brush the underside of her breasts. “Or in my bed?”

Belle made a small sound and tried to catch his lips with hers, but he ducked his head and nipped at her neck, following it with a quick kiss and flick of his tongue.

“Where do you want to come, sweetheart?” he whispered into her ear.

The thought of being in his bed, of him pressing her into the mattress and feeling all of him against her, make her pussy clench and her skin flush with heat. In spite of the fantasy there was apprehension, and perhaps disappointment as well. They would never be anything more than this. She was both both free and shattered at the same time, but she needed this for closure. She needed it over and done with, a clean slate for the future.

“No,” she said softly, pushing her palms against his chest even as her body screamed for him to be closer. “Stop.”

Gold blinked and then frowned, holding up his hands as he backed away. “I’m sorry - I - I thought -”

She gave him a flat smile and a fresh knot of anxiety twisted her gut. “No, I was just - I mean I’m -” 

She pushed her hands into her hair as she blew out a breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, he was looking at her in confusion, and she let her arms fall to her sides. It would be easy to just go with the flow, to let him fuck her until she couldn’t walk straight, and then go home alone. But nothing about that scenario appealed to her. All it would be was a momentary sexual release, an itch scratched for a time, but one that left the deeper longing unsatisfied and growing by the day.

“I’m sorry,” she said finally. “I think...I think I should go home.”

“What? Why?” He shook his head in confusion as she hurried past him towards the hallway, muttering another apology. He turned to follow her, reaching for her but missing as she stepped through the doorway and headed for the foyer. “Belle, wait.”

Gold stopped in the corridor, staring as she gathered her things and wondering how he had messed up so badly. He groped for the right words, but everything he could come up with was either perfunctory and meaningless, or so close to the truth of his feelings they were likely to scare her off.

“I don’t know what I did, but - are we -?”

“I’m sorry,” she said again, picking up her purse from the table just inside the front door, and doing her best to ignore the continued thrum of her pulse and the needy wetness between her legs. 

“I don’t think I want to be _friends_ anymore.” She kept her back to him as she slung the bag over her shoulder, knowing that if she turned and saw him, slightly disheveled and looking entirely too sexy, she’d never leave. “I’ll, um, I’ll see you - ar-around.”

“Belle -” The door opened and closed abruptly, and Gold felt his heart sink to his shoes. 

After a long moment, he moved to the door, touching the knob with his fingers as he peered through the stained glass. He could see Belle standing on the porch, her head bent forward and her hand on the railing at the top of the steps.

She wasn’t leaving, and a faint ember of hope warmed inside him as he pulled open the door.

“Belle,” he said softly. Her eyes were overbright and watery when she turned around, and he swallowed hard before he spoke. “I don’t - I don’t want to be friends either.”


	9. Finals Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold and Belle finally confront their feelings, and the future begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOK FRIENDS, I HAVE FINISHED A THING! Thanks for sticking with my little smutty adventure that could. I appreciate all your comments, screams, and pleas for them to just get their shit together. I hope their ending satisfies.  
> PS - There may be a little more of this verse coming with my 31 Days of Ficmas event for 2018.

“ _I don’t - I don’t want to be friends either_.”

The air on the porch was thick and stifling. For a long moment, Belle wondered if she was dreaming, or possibly hallucinating. There had been times in the last couple of days where she thought it might be hot enough to see a mirage, but she blinked again and Gold was still there. Her mouth opened as her sweaty hand clenched the strap of her purse. He said he didn’t want to be friends, and while that didn’t necessarily mean what she wanted it to mean, a faint hope bloomed in her chest. 

“You - you don’t?” Her eyes narrowed as her mind tried to sort through the fog of confusion to understand how the situation had changed so quickly. He shook his head as he stepped out onto the porch, and she licked her lips. “Then what do you want?”

Gold reached for her, his fingers sliding along her cheek and into her hair as he pulled her to him. “You,” he said softly. “More. Everything.”

Her mouth opened as her head tipped back, and he paused, eyes searching hers as he closed the distance between them. He tasted her, greedy and desperate, licking at her lips before pushing inside. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing her handbag behind her so she could pull her body flush against his. When the kiss broke, she caught his bottom lip between hers and tugged gently as he leaned back. His panting breath was warm and wet against her face, and his eyes were dark and wide. 

A smile spread across her mouth. “Me too.”

His eyes fluttered closed as he nodded and then leaned his forehead against hers. “Oh, Belle.”

She grinned and kissed him, and a moment later, they were stumbling back through the door, each with one arm around the other to stay as close as possible while the other fumbled with handles and light switches and locks. Her purse made a light thud as it dropped to the floor along with his cane before Gold pushed her back against the paneled wall of the foyer, and sealed his mouth over hers. 

There was a hunger in the way they kissed that hadn’t been there before now, as all restraint and pretense fell away.

Belle gasped when he pulled away to trail wet kisses and gentle nips of his teeth along her jaw to her neck. Her head lolled back and she moaned as one hand came up to slide into his hair. His hands spread across her back and down to her arse as she shifted her body, one leg coming up over his. Her weight shifted just so as his hand spanned her thigh and pulled her against him, sending a frisson of pleasure through her core. 

“Everything?” she asked.

His lips fell open and he sucked in a sharp breath as his fingertips dug into her hip to control her movement. “Yes,” he groaned, letting his hand slide down between her thighs where she was hot and throbbing. 

Her hips pitched forward as he cupped her, the friction of his palm against her pulling another breathy noise from her lips. “Ah -,” she cried out when his fingers pressed against the gusset of her underwear. “Even - _fuck_ \- even a bed?”

Gold saw the smirk on her mouth and the crook of her eyebrow, and laughed softly in her ear as his hand kept moving gently between her legs. Having her in his bed was a dream come true. His cock throbbed at the thought of taking his time with her, of making her scream on the same sheets where he had to bite his tongue to keep quiet as he stroked himself to fantasies of her. 

He shifted back to look at her, meeting her heated gaze with one of his own. “Oh, I’d love to have you in my bed, sweetheart.”

Bell leaned in to nip at his bottom lip. “Then have me.”

He pressed against her, letting her feel the hardening ridge of his cock as he rubbed his fingers along her slit. She moaned and arched into him, as his warm breath tickled her skin and his words made her arousal seep through her panties. “Are you sure you can wait?”

Her answer was a light, whimpering gasp and the scrape of her nails against the back of his neck. He chuckled and kissed her briefly, pulling at her lips as his fingers slipped under the elastic of her panties.

“No, I don't think you can,” he teased, circling her entrance with one finger, around and around. “You need it right now don't you? Tell me how much, Belle.”

His voice was low in her ear as he spoke, his accent heavy and thick as it always was when he was aroused. Her pussy clenched, tightening and twitching, anticipating that blissful moment of being filled. He drew his finger through her folds, up and over her clit, making her keen and grab at his arm to keep his hand in place.

“Yes,” she hissed. “I need it, need you, want you.” Two fingers pushed inside her and she swore. “More - _oh_ \- please more!”

She came pressed against the wall in the foyer, and then again as she sat half naked on the end of Gold's bed while he knelt on the floor between her legs. Everything slowed after that. He spread her out and held her down, took his time with every inch of her, and left her weeping and begging for him when he finally slid his cock into her slick heat. 

He kept it slow then too, agonizingly so, drawing out all the way before thrusting deep. She could feel his heart pounding against hers when he cried out his pleasure, their rhythms matching beat for beat.

Afterwards, they lay wrapped in each other, exchanging soft kisses and touches.

“Will you come back tomorrow night?” he asked, pressing his lips to her bare shoulder as his fingertips trailed down her arm and over the back of her hand.

She lifted her hand and let his fingers thread through hers. “For _dinner?_ ”

Gold smiled and drew his teeth over her skin as he looked up at her, holding her gaze. “For anything you like.” Belle giggled and shifted, turning onto her side to face him. “We could go to my cabin,” he added, “and have a picnic by the lake.”

“Mmm, sounds lovely.” She reached up and brushed his hair back, sighing. “Next week the teachers go back to school to start planning and organizing the new school year.”

“Summer’s over already.” He shook his head in disbelief. 

Time seemed to go faster once Neal had started school, and Gold fretted that one day he’d wake up and the best years would be over. But that same feeling galvanized his feelings for Belle, and his joy that she wanted more from their relationship than sex and superficial friendship. He had fallen hard for her, and though there was a practical part of him refusing to call it love so soon, he knew where his heart was leading.

“And you?” he asked.

“I go in on Wednesday. That will give me a week until school starts to get things in order, though I’m not making _too many_ changes this year.” She pressed her lips together as he drew her to him and rolled onto his back. “Next year I’ll shake things up a bit more.”

Gold grinned. “I’ve no doubt you will.”

She rose up over him, straddling his thighs and letting the loose pajama shirt he’d given her to wear ride up over her waist. His eyes darkened and she smiled as she bent down for a kiss.

“And next weekend?” he asked, his fingers slipping through her hair as she moved her mouth along his jaw.

The question made her stop and sit up. They had yet to clarify what ' _everything_ ’ meant, and while she was hesitant to push for too much too soon, her heart was already leaping ahead to a shared closet and Sunday morning pancakes with Neal.

 _Neal_. She adored the boy already, and she knew he liked her as well, but there was a world of difference between being his favorite teacher and being his father’s - girlfriend? Lover? This was going to get complicated.

She blew out a breath and tried not to look too nervous. “Does, uh, Neal have another thing or something?” 

He shook his head again and smiled up at her, his hand slipping up the middle of her chest and neck to cup the side of her face.

“No, he doesn’t,” Gold said, hoping she would understand the implication. Despite the newness of the change in their relationship, he didn’t want to keep it from his son for too long. 

Besides, hadn’t Neal had been the one to suggest Belle stay for dinner after his impromptu return? There had several moments when Gold knew his son understood more than he was letting on about Belle. Children could be very perceptive, and Gold had promised his son honesty from the time he was old enough to understand the meaning of the word. 

“I thought maybe we could have dinner again?” he continued. “The three of us…? If that's alright?”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and she wrapped her hand around his wrist, turning her face into his touch. “I'd love that.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Belle took a deep breath through her nose, smiling at the comforting scent of paper, and then slid the book onto the shelf. She took another from the pile on the cart and checked the label on the binding, then climbed up the ladder to place it on the top shelf. School had been in session for over a month, and while she was still getting the lay of the land, she could safely say she loved her new job. She was a resource for the all students and teachers as they needed her, and she’d been offered the opportunity to teach an advanced placement literature class in the spring if she was interested.

The high school had a different atmosphere, and she liked being less involved in the day to day of a classroom, and all that came with it. 

Like not having to deal with overly concerned helicopter parents berating her on parent teacher night.

“Miss French,” came a familiar voice.

She turned her head and smiled. “Mr. Gold, this is a surprise.”

He stood at the end of the aisle with his hands folded on his cane, grinning. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I would stop by.”

She pursed her lips and gave him a look. “The neighborhood, really?”

Gold shrugged and smirked as he walked towards her. “I _might_ have been collecting rent from a couple of teachers.”

Her eyes rolled, but she was still smiling. He came to stand behind her, his head just a bit higher than her backside where she stood on the ladder, and a tingle of pleasure coiled in her belly. “Can I help you with something?” she asked, looking over her shoulder.

His hand brushed the back of her knee, and he smirked as he felt the little shiver that went through her body. He was torn between thoughts of the space he’d cleared out for her in his dresser and closet, ready for her to move a few things in and make it easier for her to spend the night when she wanted to, and thoughts of what a perfect height this ladder was. Perhaps his own home library needed one so she’d be able to reach the upper shelves and organize all the books when they combined collections.

“I'm considering making a donation to the school foundation, and I'd like to discuss what might be needed in the library next year,” he said. There, he thought, proud of himself. It was an excuse, but it wasn’t a lie.

Belle smiled and took a step down on the ladder. His hand slid further up her leg as she moved. Her breath caught and she gripped the handles of the ladder tightly.

“That's so - _oh_ \- generous of you,” she said, gasping as he brushed the inside of her thigh. She came down another step, bringing his fingers dangerously close to her pussy and causing her skirt to ride up in the back. 

“Should we go to your office?” he asked, his voice dropping low as he leaned in, letting her feel the heat of his breath through her thin silk blouse.

“Can’t,” she managed as a single finger traced the edge of her panties. “Parent teacher - conference night.”

“Ah,” he pulled his hand away and stepped back, letting her down off the ladder.

Belle turned to face him, watching his eyes darken as she twisted her body in the narrow space. She pressed against him as much as she dared with the security cameras watching, his cane caught between them. She shifted her hips, rubbing against his hand where it was wrapped around the shiny gold handle.

Gold smirked and recalled how last week he’d used it to make her come in the back of his shop. “Still stuck with those terrible meetings even in your new job?”

She shook her head, smiling as she drew a finger down the length of his tie and over the buttons on his waistcoat. “Nope, I just volunteered to help with setup and scheduling. I should be done by five. Neal is at scouts until seven, right?”

“Yes, I have to pick him up at the Nolans’ farm,” he said, following the motion of her hand down his body before he met her eyes again. “If you’d like to have a little _conference_ of our own, before then, I’ll be at the shop.”

Belle pushed up on her toes and kissed him, flicking her tongue over his lip to steal a taste of him. “I’ll see you by five-thirty at the latest.”

He gave her hand a squeeze and then started to leave, but she called out to him just as he got to the end of the aisle.

“I could grab Granny’s while you’re getting Neal, and meet you at home?” Then she realized what she’d said and mentally kicked herself. “I mean your home - _house_... Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Gold replied. 

Her little slip made his heart flutter and his head light, and he knew without a doubt that he was in love with Belle French. He nearly staggered back into the row of study tables, but managed to plant his cane firmly as he smiled at her. “That sounds perfect.”


End file.
